Book 2: Shattered Earth
by Flipdarkfuture95
Summary: Amon is gone, but Republic City's problems are far from over. With a resurgence in triad activity, violence sweeping across the slums, and Koh himself beginning to shake things up in the Spirit World, Korra and her friends will not come out the other side unscathed. Second in the Changing Elements series. (Feedback and criticism welcome.) (Under Maintenance).
1. Five Months Passed

水

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It was amazing, how the city had recovered so quickly from those terrible events. The towering buildings of the Central Borough loomed over all others, foreboding and domineering while at the same time representative of a bright economic future, the very image of what had made Republic City into what it is today.

The people themselves, facing so much opposition both within and without, had banded together, re-welding the battered iron walls of Police Headquarters, fixing the roads and streets that had been pulverised by countless tank treads and claws, providing warmth and comfort for the many displaced of the less well-off districts, where some of the resistance against the equalists had been the most fierce and brutal.

During this time, benders helped non-bender in an unprecedented display of cooperation and humanity, something seldom seen ever since Avatar Aang ended the Hundred Year War, managing to unite the entire world in a era of peace and prosperity, so that those who followed would never know the horrors of war.

And yet, even when the people of Republic City had banded together, there were still those who continued to prey on the helpless. The Agni Kais grew in their influence, taking over many of the neighborhoods and districts the equalists had called home in quick succession, corralling any remaining supporters and ruling over the slums with a iron fist.

The Red Monsoons, always the most enigmatic of the four triads, seemed to shrink in influence in stark contrast, moving their operations to the sewers and undergrowth of the city, taking refuge in the dark tunnels and complexes within. The murder statistic went down with them, yet the accident rate skyrocketed, a strange coincidence that the city's Police Force didn't fail to notice.

Mentions of a brewing turf war have cropped up with alarming regularity, forcing the council to mandate a law barring benders from using their abilities without a permit somewhere on their person, taking this action to ease pressure on the already weakened Police Force.

Republic City's finest had been severely crippled in recent months, with over half of their zeppelins and patrolships reported to have been shot down or stolen by either the triads or equalists. To counter this, commander Saikhan entered into talks with Future Industries, and their newly appointed CEO, Asami Sato, to step up production and research into refined airship designs, so that if Republic City faced a threat like the Equalists ever again, the police could respond in full force. The airship fleet wasn't the only department that was crippled during the conflict, Amon's debending abilities had been used on many captured officers, primarily metalbenders, shrinking the available manpower of the elite metalbending squad to half its normal strength. Lin Beifong has begun a training program, looking for suitable earthbenders to fill the ranks.

But Amon's actions had also thrown the current structure of the force into question, earthbenders and waterbenders made up the bulk of the rank and file, while firebenders were relegated to either support roles or engineering duties, and non-bending officers were assigned primarily to road patrol and the airship departments. To combat this, commander Makei devised a new department for firebenders, charged with undercover operations aimed against the triads and investigating cases of homicide and arson, originally it was exclusively for firebenders, but councilman Tenzin suggested that all benders and non-benders should be included in this new deparment.

Of course, not everyone has been able to bounce back so quickly from the shadow of Amon. Asami Sato is now head of Future Industries, and is struggling to keep her company alive against accusations of pro-equalist ties. General Iroh from the United Forces has been reassigned as a liaison to the heiress, and is overseeing the company's research and development of the controversial machines used by Amon's fanatics, as an unspoken punishment for falling into the enemy's trap and losing his honor.

Councilman Tenzin's student, Tai, has kept a ear to the ground for word on his brother's whereabouts, and the spectre of the hooded men still looms on him as he continues his airbending training, trying to focus on these things and not on the avatar's and officer Mako's blooming relationship.

The avatar herself has regained to ability to earthbend and waterbend, and Is now working on her firebending, the message of the spirit drives her to become stronger and faster, knowing that one day it will come for her.

Lin Beifong as been reinstated in the metalbending squad, her primary duties now focused on training new recruits in her mothers metalbending academy, getting their skills to the level needed to take a place among the cities finest.

With his brother's departure from the Fire Ferrets, Bolin has been forced to assume responsibility for the team, but has been unsuccessful in finding a new firebending teammate.

In the space of a few months, Republic City is nearly back to its former glory, and with the reformation of the police force now complete, the reassignment of commander Bumi to the council, the return of Lady Kya as a representative for the Southern Water Tribe, and the avatar herself preparing for a ceremony that would return what was stolen to the men and woman menaced by Amon, the city can now return to normal, hopefully leaving the sea of despair and carnage behind, and keep moving towards a bright future.

Some things are easier said, than done.

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土

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**A/N**

Okay. Basically for the past half a month or so, I've been updating and editing and adding some crazy things into both Shattered Earth and Rising Tide. Nothing has been cut or changed drastically apart from the addition of some very peculiar entities I'm sure will definitely be welcomed while everyone is at the South Pole. Korra actually goes to the Southern Air Temple with Tenzin's family.

I've essentially been brained out by rediting and resorting the entire story, so this is probably the only time I'll ever do edits on this scale to any of my stories. They are safe.

Now, here is the new and improved Shattered Earth, and Raging Flame will be coming soon!

And for those just joining us, here are the links to the first in the series.

s/8097189/1/Book-1-Rising-Tide

Oh, and here's a link to Breaking Ice, a short story which bridges Rising Tide and Shattered Earth.

s/8433653/1/Breaking-Ice


	2. A New City, A New Stage

**A/N**

Just a heads up. I've slipped in a new chapter between 5 and 6, bringing the total to 33 chapters. Also I have expanded upon many scenes across the entire story, and have added in a few ones to address whatever plotholes or gaps I've missed. Consider Shattered Earth complete, guys. Its on to Raging Flame now!

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**土**

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_Air Temple Island._

The sun was shining, its rays hitting the glass and metal faces of the many spires and buildings on the coast of Yue Bay. They gleamed in a glorious fashion, having the effect of air traffic controllers warning pilots of private, commercial and government airships not to look into the light, no matter how boring it was driving a gigantic cylinder of explosive gas and oxygen.

These airships slowly rocked back and forth as the wind blew into their propellers, helping them move above the city's skyline to the smog-choked industrial districts, or the pristine and clear central boroughs.

This air current provided a suitable bed for white and fluffy clouds to float on, their shadows slowly moving over the little island in the bay below, trying to blanket the little chunk of land from the sun's light as much as they could.

Air Temple Island was a center of peace and spirituality for the city's residents, and a living reminder of the days the old temples were filled with chants and laughter, harking back to a time when the world was simpler, and the needs of the people in it even moreso.

The soaring flanged roof of the temple spire was a perfect mirror of the old southern temple, every brick, column and strut designed to incorporate a sense of freedom and awe in someone gawking at it.

Yes, the island and it's residents were a living reminder of days gone by, paradoxically sitting in front of the world's most technologically advanced city, and its first true metropolis.

All of this peacefulness and calm the idyllic slice of the past exuded was somewhat shattered and destroyed in its entirety, when the alarmed and disappointed noise of a child being overtaken could be heard.

"That's cheating, Korra!" Jinora whined, her eyes focused forwards, trying to ignore the wagging tongue that whipped past her, belonging to a girl with blue eyes and brown skin.

"Sorry, Jin! Gotta be fast to be with me!" She taunted as she left Tenzin's oldest to recover from slamming into the wooden support, turning back to keep both eyes focused on the rapidly approaching wall of the bathhouses, she poked out her tongue in concentration as she reached within, searching for that free-flowing energy that fueled airbending the best.

It didn't take her long to find it, and she took a deep breath and exhaled, letting it flow down through her legs and into the spinning sphere of wind underneath her, resulting in faster revolutions as she prepared to take the turn. The mass under her shifted subtly, and she raised her arms and held them out from her, and swept them across her chest, resulting in the scooter changing direction, following the trail of disturbed air her arms traced and turning on a dime, slowing rotation a little to stop from crashing into the wall.

As she took off down the covered walkway, a grin settled on her. She'd finally had that nailed _down_.

She stole a glance behind herself, seeing that three siblings were close to each other, shouts and laughter coming from them as they tried to get around one another, finding it difficult to do so in the cramped quarters. That grin grew bigger as she turned forwards, coming face to face with an alarmed Pema carrying a bag of what looked like breadsticks.

Korra's yelp matched Pema's as she swept her arms up and over, the scooter mimicking by rolling around Pema as she flailed in a effort to grab the breadsticks thrown up in the air because of the fright.

The girl hoped she saw her apologetic look as she continued to race forwards, frowning as she felt the mass underneath her slow in its rotation, she grunted in frustration and responded by pouring more energy into the scooter, resulting in the sphere instantly picking up speed again.

More than that was required when she was overtaken by all three kids, one by one they passed her, with Jinora giggling, Ikki blowing a raspberry, and Meelo snoring loudly as he slept, still managing to keep his scooter spinning faster than what should have been possible.

She grunted in annoyance and surged forwards, trying to gain on the quickly growing gap between her and Tenzin's kids.

No way was she going to let the _kids_ beat her!

That thought was dashed when she heard a familiar and much dreaded bark behind her, and she made the mistake of looking back to see a large, wolf-shaped mass of grey and white fur bounding after her, a massive tongue hanging out of the side of his enormous maw. Two bright brown eyes settled on her, and her friend's spirit-wolf yapped happily as he picked up speed, trying to get close enough to slam her to the ground in a bid to attack her face with his tongue.

Kaze's presence made got her mind going, trying to work out where his master would inevitably spring from. She kept one eye glued to the slowly closing backs of the siblings, and the other looking for likely spots of attack, focusing in particular on the roofs of the complex, and the rapidly approaching treetops that hid the irritated Lemur packs from sight.

Her search was rewarded with the absence of whirling dust or keening wind, and for a few seconds she kept her attention turned to the rear, before throwing caution to the wind and paying full attention on the stout air nomad arch waiting for her to speed through only a few dozen meters ahead.

A self-assured smirk began to form as she slowly came alongside a unpredictable element in the form of Ikki. The little girl noticed her, and grinned evilly. Korra's blood froze, like it did everytime she was planning _something_, and her mind silently screamed in horror as Ikki grunted, then going blank as impossibly the little girl's sphere managed a even faster spin, and noticeably began to leave her last in line.

Korra's mind went into overdrive, going over plans and plans that would succeed in defeating children when a shadow loomed overhead, and she could only watch the heaving fur-covered belly dropping down towards her, heralding another of Kaze's infamous bodyslams. She was forced to slow, and watched as the young wolf sailed towards the ground, tumbling head over tail as a growing cloud of dust began clinging to his fur.

She winced, her ever-present concern for animals telling her to stop and check on her friend's companion. But a much larger thought stopped her. She had a _race_ _to_ _win_ damn it.

Reaching for every ounce of energy still waiting, she focused, and her surroundings dropped away for a long second, being replaced by the sphere, spinning round and round on the spot, trails of wind racing around one another marking its presence. She exhaled and concentrated, and felt herself being wrenched forwards by a incredibly strong force before she managed to right the flow of energy. The sphere below expanded in size and increased in speed, and instantly the gap between her and Ikki was closing again, giving her a chance to relish in the child's shocked features as she-

The flapping back of a black longcoat whipped overhead, and she noticed two grey eyes completely focused on the finish line ahead, and a mouth set in a determined line as underneath the sole of each boot a furiously spinning sphere sat, rotating endlessly in opposite directions from one another, connected by a constantly moving back and forth track of heavily vibrating air, throwing of massive amounts of noise and whipping the air around the boy into a frenzy.

She pouted as he landed gracefully in front of her, even turning around and giving her a thumbs up before turning back and throwing his hands to the sides, rotating them in intervals to keep the spheres below nice and stable. As he pulled away from her, the black longcoat rapidly getting farther and farther up the stone path, and nearing the end of the covered walkway leading to the sparring yard, a idea formed in the back of her mind, and in answer she nodded.

She might as well use it if it was there.

Familiar vibrance filled her as she drew alongside Ikki once more, ignoring her poking tongue as she fixated on the black longcoat now bursting out of the covered walkway and onto the stone pathway, already closing on the sparring arena, where a wild-haired man waved a red flag high up, his grin visible even from where she was.

Her drive to win was increased by watching her friend nearing the archway at the end of the path ahead, and she fed that drive into the core of her being, opening a way to the practically limitless light and power within.

Korra's thoughts began to move of their own accord as a invisible entity came into being inside her, giving her a brief feeling of fear and discomfort as it touched her thoughts and memories, before she suppressed it with a great push of thought. Her eyes filled with golden light, and she couldn't help the smile coming with it as that vibrance made her body _hum_.

Ikki's eyes went wide, as the avatar directed a single thought at the mass of air below, which instantly responded by flowing much faster than should be possible, the forces being exerted underneath her flattening the sphere slightly in the process. She fought the urge to laugh as Meelo's mouth hung open, and Jinora scowled as she barely registered their passing blurs.

Her surroundings flattened out, and her feelings as well as she spied the sighing features of the boy up ahead, whose shoulders slumped in acceptance as she whipped past him, a wince settling as the incredible winds following her slammed and buffeted him, nearly making him lose balance and spin into the bushes on the sides.

But that didn't matter as the archway ran overhead, replaced by the sparkling waters of Yue Bay in the distance as she reached within her, and mentally shifted gears. A slightly strange rumble ran through her as the gold drained away from her eyes, and a wave of fatigue ran through her body as the mass below her began to slow and disperse back into nothing.

She uncrossed her legs as the sphere disappeared entirely, the rush of air lifting her up for a moment, allowing her legs to dangle in preparation for landing back on the ground. She twisted her body, gracefully following the streams of air in their spin as she alighted on the ground, along with a sudden urge to open her mouth and draw in great gasps of air.

But she heard a whoop from the man standing near the archway, intermixed with coughing and the faint rustling of a flag being waved. "The avatar is the winner!"

The sound of three masses of wind approaching reached her as she turned around, a smirk settling on her tired features as Ikki stormed towards her, a incredible pout on her as she had her arms folded, giving the appearance of a unimpressed child as she leveled a smoldering scowl up at her. "No fair! You can't go into the Avatar State to win!"

Korra leaned forwards slightly, placing her hands on her hips as she blew a triumphant raspberry at Ikki. She looked over her head at the grey-eyed boy shakily walking through the archway, rolling his eyes at Bumi's grin before tumbling into a impromptu roll forwards, unfolding into a crumpled heap near her feet.

From his position on the ground Tai folded his arms, resting them on his chest as he fixed her with a judgemental look. "Cheater." he muttered, picking himself up and dusting himself off to the sound of her laughing.

His swaying stopped, only for a lumbering mass of grey fur to race through the archway, yapping a greeting at Bumi as every thunderous step marked a loud pant and a lolling tongue as Kaze howled triumphantly, happy that he spotted his master. Tai yelped as the massive wolf lunged towards him, slamming into his back and sending himself and his master tumbling and rolling forwards a few meters.

As the dust from the brief mayhem settled, a sigh was heard from Tai as he patted Kaze on the snout, enduring the constant bath the wolf's tongue lavished on him. "Yes, this is _just what I needed_. Thank you."

Korra laughed at Kaze's enthusiasm as she wiped a few beads of sweat from her brow, noticing that the wind had picked up slightly, signalling that whoever was walking towards them was definitely not in a good mood. "You did what!?" she winced and froze, seeing her master's crimson cloak whipping around in the wind being generated by him as he stalked towards her and the kids, rolling his eyes when he saw Tai and his attacker on the ground.

He shook his head and glared at the young avatar. "The Avatar State is not to be used as a _booster rocket!_" Inwardly he sighed at the petulant look coming from Korra, and the idea of sending the young lady to her uncle for spiritual training suddenly seemed more attractive. He pointed a finger at her, not believing that she would use such a dangerous ability for something so _trivial_. "You are toying with a dangerous power that you _obviously_ do not appreciate!"

"Geez, lighten up Tenzin! It's easy to-" she began to argue, noticing Jinora shaking her head as a warning too late, when Tenzin cut her off with another glare.

"No! I've been letting this slide for far too long! That business with the equalists may have ended a while back, but that doesn't give you a excuse to goof off! You're the Avatar. Act like it!" Tenzin quickly reaffirmed control over his emotions before they got out of hand, and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as he focused inward for a second, quickly regaining his calm and focus. He heaved a heavy sigh at the hurt look on Korra. "My apologies. I know you've worked incredibly hard to reopen your connection to the elements, and frankly you've amazed me, even _Lin_, with your progress-"

"Still got one to _go_." she bitterly remarked, staring down at the ground at her boots.

He stepped forward and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "In any case, I understand how difficult its been, but listen to me. You can't rely on the Avatar State to get you ahead, especially when it comes to something like this. Am I clear?"

She hung her head as she nodded slowly. "Yes, Tenzin." His firm but gentle tone did wonders in getting the message through to her. And he had a point, she had been slacking off a lot recently.

Tenzin nodded and straightened his mantle. "Alright. Now-"

Bumi clapped his arm down on Tenzin's shoulders. "Gotta lighten up, Ten! The kid managed to beat _Amon_. Let her cut loose every once in a while-" Tenzin groaned in response.

Korra smirked at the two of them as they moved off a little, before a low groan caught her attention. She turned with a smirk watching Tai straighten, throwing dark looks at the large wolf shaking itself off and sitting back on its haunches, tongue hanging out as always. "Finally fought him off?" Kaze got in a yap before his master could answer, and Korra smirked as she bent down to give him a always-loved scratch behind the ear, which made his hindleg thump up and down as the wolf hummed.

Kaze's face visibly fell when she stopped, and he yapped once before turning and staring up at Tai, who scratched the back of his neck while looking at her. "Nice to know your priorities."

Korra stuck her tongue out in answer. "I think I've payed you more than enough attention." she countered, making the boy roll his eyes in exasperation. She turned back to Tenzin. "So, uh... if you don't need me for anything... I'm going to see Mako." She waited with bated breath as Tenzin nodded, giving his blessing even though she would have run off anyway. She walked past him, heading through the arch as he answered her.

"Don't keep him too long, Korra. His boat is leaving soon." She stopped for a moment, reminded of the fact that he wouldn't be so close to her anymore.

The sobering thought made her nod, and gave her a small pall of discomfort. "I know." She lingered for a moment before taking her leave, heading through the archway and down the stone path back towards the cluster of buildings they had just recently terrorized. She waved a hand for her goodby, and picked up speed, sticking her hands in her pockets and noticeably hanging her head a little.

Tenzin frowned as he watched her leave, before turning to see his two youngest already tearing into each other, using tiny blasts of air from their palms and other areas, mostly Meelo's doing, to irritate one another. Jinora rolled her eyes as she ran a hand through her tightly done hair, before holding her hand to accept Kaze's nuzzling snout. He noticed a slightly goofy smile on Tai as he watched Kaze, before it quickly disappeared when he noticed he was being watched.

Without warning, Meelo and Ikki wrapped themselves around Kaze, and the wolf yapped in surprise before taking off towards the trees nearby, angling for a barely-noticeable path with fruit and leaves covering it entirely. He wasn't worried that his two youngest had taken a liking to trying to wrangle a Spirit-Wolf, seeing as his concern was more for Kaze than it was for the two of them. He returned Jinora's wave as she walked off, slowly making her way along the trail of trodden leaves and yaps left by the wolf and his two wranglers.

He sighed and turned towards his student. "Have fun?" he innocently asked, completely sure the dark look the boy leveled at him was completely unjustified. "You did listen when Kya told you how big he would get?"

"I did. And I also listened to her being-body-slammed-twice-a-day lecture. Real riveting." Tai's smirk gave him away as he walked towards his master. "He's not that much of a handful, and I'm lucky those two are around to wear him down. I'd be a lot flatter otherwise."

"Yes, something I believe my _brother _could use a bit of." The family member he referred to laughed and patted his belly as he walked towards the two of them.

"Come on, Ten, a little muscle is good for you! I reckon even the twigs here are wider than ya!" Tenzin hmmphed as Bumi clapped a boisterous hand on his shoulder, before whipping his head up at the sound of a girlish scream in the distance.

He gave the two airbenders meaningful looks as he held a finger up to his lips. "_Shhhh_. I think I hear a Bo' in the area." His gaze narrowed as a evil look settled in his eyes, mirrored by rubbing his hands together and moving towards the treeline. The United Forces Commander stopped and gave the two of them a quick salute, before diving into the trees and disappearing amongst Lemurs chittering and birds screeching.

The wind rushed through the sparring yard, rustling Tai's coat a little as he glanced at Tenzin, his eyebrow in a high arch. "Have I mentioned how _entertaining _Bumi is?"

"Constantly." He watched the shaking of the trees and the Lemur colonies taking flight for a few seconds, before starting towards the stone path, rapping a knuckle on the archway as he did so, eying a crack that he was certain had expanded last time he checked. He shook his head and continued forwards once Tai started following, the boy folding his arms behind his head and stretching a little.

The two of them didn't feel the need to speak, so the wind took over with its own conversation while they made their way towards the covered walkways marking the edge of the main complex, the flank of which steadily brightened, courtesy of the sun which was beginning to poke out from the thickly layered clouds overhead.

Tenzin noticed Tai's arms had dropped to his sides, and the boy stopped and stared up at the sky for a moment. He stopped as well, turning with an arched eyebrow as his pupil sighed heavily. "I think I've stayed for too long."

Any surprise Tenzin would have expressed he quickly squashed down, settling for folding his arms and stroking his beard. "Any reason for you thinking that?"

"I haven't seen him in months, master. The longer I stay the farther he gets." Tai explained with a soft edge, images of those tense moments in the arena storage room coming to the spotlight. The boy turned to him with a shrug and a unsure smile. "I mean, he tells me not to follow him, and he really thinks I'm going to agree to that?"

Tenzin nodded carefully. "Maybe you should listen to him. Older siblings can be wiser. Not sure about mine I'm afraid..."

He was answered with a chuckle. "Nuts to that." he said with a happy tone, before a frown flicked across his features, sobering him up. "He's the only family I've got, gotta stick with him." The boy didn't notice the brief look of worry on Tenzin as he took a deep breath and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Level with me. How much have I improved?"

Doubt wouldn't go away as Tenzin glanced at the boy he had met in that room, and decided that he should be truthful and not deny him. "Incredibly. I- are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am." Came the inevitable surefire answer. The wind blew quietly in the background as Tai looked down at his feet, before looking back at him. "Promise that when I do, you won't tell anyone, or Korra? I want to keep it simple."

A few seconds passed, and the boy wasn't sure if Tenzin's answer was going to turn out in his-

"You can count on me." His airbending master looked him dead in the eyes and nodded. "But you must promise me this. Stay for two more months, let me teach you the advanced stages of airbending. You'll need them."

The boy didn't say anything immediately, settling for staring at the cliffs nearby before finding his answer. "Alright." He took a deep breath to steady himself, glad that the tense moment was now over.

Whatever somberness was still left over was shattered instantly, by the high pitched yelp of a young man hopelessly ensnared in some kind of rope, presumably with a wild and slightly unhinged military official poking him with a stick.

"Quit it, Bumi- ow-how!"

"That's _commander _Bumi to you, Bo-Bo!" The eccentric man exclaimed, driving the point home with another vicious prodding of the boys exposed stomach, getting a squeak from him in the process.

Bolin tried desperately to untangle himself from the hanging rope lengths, not being helped by him having to block several jabs and taps with his forearms, one of which made him wince, and would almost certainly end up as a hefty bruise.

Slowly, he had made some progress, at least four of the nine loops of rope he counted had let go and were now hanging freely, the sight of which spurred the scrabbling of his fingers even faster, resulting in one of them being stubbed on the wall nearby, and a few more jabs from Bumi in the process. As they got more frequent, he realized that he needed to ask something, to at least delay any more jabbing. "How'd someone like you get in the United Forces anyway?"

To his hidden surprise, and relief, the jabbing mercifully stopped as his tormentor stepped back and scratched the rough beard on his chin with the end of the stick. Bolin kept a close eye on him, slowly untangling himself from the rest of the ropes as quietly as possible.

Two more loops fell away, Bolin silently prayed that the question had stalled the older man. It didn't. "Because of my BADASSERY and AWESOMENESS!" came the triumphant answer, along with a renewed assault on Bolin's stomach, a yelp escaped him as an idea suddenly formed. Reaching a hand up to his collar, he poked the quietly snoozing red mass snuggling on the nape of his neck.

Pabu yawned as he shook himself, squeaking in curiosity as he looked up at his partner-in-crime. He chittered as Bolin's green eyes darted towards the stick poking him, and the wild haired man holding onto it. The ferret nodded, understanding what needed to be done.

The boy frowned as Pabu hopped onto the stick, wrapping himself around it and promptly falling back to sleep. He really needed to put the little guy through some lessons.

"Oh, oh! Can I poke him, uncle Bumi!" That evil tone wrapped up in a child's voice made Bolin's blood freeze, as the terror herself bounced up and down underneath him, smiling wickedly and clapping her hands as the poking stopped briefly.

"Sure, Motor Mouth!" He answered, squatting down and patting his niece on the head and opening his palm for her to grab the stick.

With relish she snatched it up instantly, giggling as she swung it around her head, gradually ceding into the movements and stances she had been taught since she could walk. Bolin didn't think it fair she use a _airbending enhanced stick_.

But, he had to resign himself to the wooden fate destiny had for him, and so, as the little girl leveled her wicked eyes at him, followed by the stick being pulled back for maximum potential. He found a strange idea forming, a strange idea that maybe the universe really had it for him and his-

"Ikki, let him be."

Bolin opened his eyes after a few seconds, blinking in puzzlement before seeing his brother's bemused yellow eyes, and the little happy smirk he had taken to showing in recent months. Probably because of the girl whose shoulders his arm rested on, whose blue eyes still called out to some tiny buried part of him. Something which he found was trying harder and harder to resurface.

The little girl turned and blew a raspberry at Korra, giving her the stink-eye. "Nuh-uh! I'm not going to listen to a cheater!" She stuck her tongue out as she started advancing towards Bolin, the stick raised in a menacing fashion.

"Do you wanna read some of my comics?" Korra offered, a little thought in the back of her head wondering if those ones about... certain things... were safely kept tucked away from the rest.

Immediately Ikki's attention was completely taken, and she dropped the stick and rushed towards Korra, stopping at her feet and clasping her hands together, a massive grin resembling a cat's settling. "Can I read the one about Aang? Waitno! The one about _uncle_! No hang on! Wheres the one were everyone lives on the clouds?!"

"You can read all of them." she replied, chuckling as she squatted down and placed a hand on Ikki's shoulder to still her. "Under my bed, in the little basket. Sorry for cheating as well."

The girl fell silent, before nodding. "Mhm! Forgiven!" she immediately bowed and ran towards Bumi, who took the rap of her knuckles on his shin as a signal to bend down and pick her up, placing Ikki on his shoulders and setting off at a run towards the main complex.

Mako waited a few seconds as the dust clouds thrown up by Bumi's swift exit wafted away from the three of them. He walked away from Korra's side, sighing as he called a small jet flame into existence above his index finger, burning through the final loop of rope keeping his brother imprisoned, the burnt ends let off small amounts of smoke as Bolin heaved a sigh of relief, rubbing his stomach where the stick had touched down most violently.

"You know, I won't be able to spring you out of trouble as much as I could." He grinned as Bolin folded his arms together, looking down with a reproachful look at the Fire Ferret slowly slinking his way up his leg.

He sighed and looked back up. "I know. Still, you're gonna be a full-on cop! Getting people out of trouble is like a 24-hour thing!" He laughed as his eyes flitted towards the ground, still painfully aware that his brother would actually be farther away than ever before. "But, uh, y'know, if you're not busy being a hero, I could still get into trouble. For old times sake."

His brother laughed and shook his head. "I think I'll get pretty busy, Bo'." Bolin watched him turn towards the view of the sea nearby, which was starting sparkle brilliantly as the sun slowly lowered itself beneath the horizon, beginning to throw a orange and pink tinge on the clouds now higher than it. "Damn, I haven't even finished packing yet! Hate to cut this short-" He watched Mako take a few steps back, turning towards the main complex nearby before stopping. "I'll uh- I'll see you guys down at the docks!"

Mako left at a brisk jog, waving back at them before disappearing around the corner from sight.

Korra released a sigh as she stared after him, a oddly sad look on her as she traced circles in the dust with the toe of her boot. He grimaced. "Are you- are you cool with this?" She looked up, momentarily startled as his question brought her tumbling out of her head.

She fixed him with a weirdly tight smile. "Oh- uh -yeah! Of course I am!"

"Come on- be totally honest."

She sighed as her shoulders dropped. "Okay. It's been great! Really great over the last couple of months you know?... And I don't want to lose that." Korra fixed him with a embarrassed look. "Spirits, I must sound like a idiot right now."

"Not completely." He grinned as that got a small smile from her. "And you won't lose that, Mako won't be that far away, and besides, he can always come visit."

A few seconds of silence followed as she sighed again, although this time it sounded more content than worried. "And... thank you for clearing up something so obvious."

He grinned again as she squared her shoulders and exhaled, before looking at him. "Um- have you and he talked about the Fire Ferrets thing?"

"Totally! Bro's even given me a list of candidates!" He reassured her, mind once again reeling at the fact that he was now going be leading the Fire Ferrets in every pro-bending match from now until _forever_. "So... are you staying?"

His question caught her off-guard, but she didn't let him see it. "Oh, uh- I don't really- Don't you think it might be a little strange?"

"What. You, me and a random firebender?" She winced inwardly as she realized how insensitive she had just sounded.

She held her hands up in apology. "No, no! I mean- its just that Tenzin been getting on my case about goofing off and... pro-bending might be goofing off."

Bolin couldn't stop himself from visibly slumping, nodding sadly at what she meant. "I get it."

Korra's laugh made him look up again. "Relax, Bolin. I'll stay, you need someone to keep you sane."

"_Thank you_." He breathed a sigh of relief, happy that she would be staying, giving him a familiar face to help keep him focused as the new captain.

"Excuse me? Lady avatar, have you seen councilman Bumi? his boat is leaving soon." They both turned, seeing the council page with his rather fetching black cap and not-so-fetching kneehigh white socks standing there, calmly waiting for their, or rather her, response.

"I think he's making his own way down. Try the main dormitory." She answered, oddly certain that Bumi had a definite schedule to keep, even if he didn't show it.

The page bowed to her, did a crisp half-turn on his heel, and walked past the two of them towards the dormitories.

Mako ducked his head to avoid the low hanging beam in the dormitory entry room, and stopped while he peered down each hallway, wondering if Korra had already beaten him here. A pair of bald men, laden down with a multitude of overly stuffed trunks and bags, nodded their greetings. He nodded as well, keeping a wary eye on the dark crimson box swaying precariously at the top of the tower, he waited until they both had exited outside, and was about to take a step towards the boy's dormitory when he heard a crash and a swear being cut short.

He turned and jogged into the girl's dormitory, amusement breaking out as Asami stumbled and hopped out of her room, a very vicious looking cord wrapped around her ankle with a hair dryer trying it's best to bring her down to earth.

It was almost fascinating to watch, almost like a car crash in progress as she wobbled precariously, a little squeak finding its way out of her as she tumbled towards the floor. Being the good cop, he started forwards, grabbing her wrist to arrest her fall. He stifled a chuckle as Asami blinked twice in confusion, before that polite smile of hers showed up. "Need a hand?"

She shook her head as she straightened, lightly shrugging off his touch and casting a careful eye at the hair dryer and tangled cord resting in her arms. "Actually, this is the last of it." he peered into her room, seeing everything she had neatly packed into two large steamer bags, ready and waiting to be placed on the ship.

He stood by the door as Asami walked in, placing her hair dryer on top of the nearest steamer trunk. She snaked her fingers under the trunk's cover, flipping it up and over so that it now covered the dryer. She loosed a exasperated sigh as she slammed a palm down on top, forcing the dryer further into the nest of socks, underwear and leggings, enough so that the teeth of the cover could reach down to the other teeth.

Zipping up the entire thing in one swift movement, she nodded and rubbed her palms, standing there for a moment to admire her handiwork before turning and giving the firebender a small smile. "So... you're all packed?"

"Uh- yeah." He lied, getting flashes of piles of dirty socks and singlets that would beg to differ, each one a distinct layer with its own unique smell that laid testament to the laidback time he had spent in recent months.

She surprised him when she loosed a explosive sigh, stretching a little as she wringed her hands around one another. "It's going to be weird... moving back into that place. Two hundred rooms and only one of _me_."

Her undertones were not lost on him, and even though what happened between them still lingered in his mind, he felt that they had gotten over that now. He laid a hand on her shoulder, one of concern, the effect on her kind of wasted a little when he smirked as well. "Well, you know where I am. You know where Korra is, we can come visit."

To his relief, she didn't shirk away his hand, instead gracing him with a happy smile. "Thanks, Mako." She sincerely meant, before suddenly a wicked look surfaced. "Besides, I'm sure it'll be fun introducing you guys to some Drag Racing!" She beamed at his frown, steering him around and out the door. "That stuff won't pack itself."

He groaned at that as he walked down the hallway, going straight through the entry room and into the boy's dormitory. He winced at the mountain of socks and singlets dumped on his bed, forgetting for a moment that it was of his own making, and he should be proud of how it managed to even stay up at all.

Shaking his head, he trudged towards the pile, shoving his arms into the miasmic cloud that enveloped the socks, and lifting the entire pile up. Without any ceremony at all, he dumped the entire thing into the waiting trunk sitting nearby, closing it all up and standing it on end in less than a minute.

That didn't take as long as he feared.

* * *

The city looked absolutely _gorgeous _at this hour.

With the setting of the sun, a new kind of light, thrown off by the buildings and towers themselves, lit up the entire city, throwing golden light onto the softly lapping waters in the bay.

From his vantage point on that cliff ledge, Mako actually managed to smile at a sight he had seen many times over since his birth. That smile grew even larger when the hand on his forearm squeezed a little, as if reluctant to actually let go.

He looked away from one vista, switching to another much closer one as he noticed a rare glimmer in her eyes, something that had come and gone ever since those terrible events in the arena.

Mako loved seeing that glimmer. He placed his hand over hers, squeezing a little to return the gesture. "You're trying very hard to keep a grip on me." Some of the cheer in his voice dropped away when she nodded slowly. "Korra?"

Her head moved at the sound of his voice, and she blinked twice as she looked at him, losing the glimmer in the process. "Yeah?" He winced when her grip on his arm tightened, although by accident or on purpose he wasn't sure, she noticed the strained look he had, and she laughed nervously, immediately letting go of him. "Sorry."

As part of her apology, she moved closer to him, resting her chin on his shoulder, her frown coming back as a boat pulled alongside the pier below, where four figures stood, one of which had taken to poking another.

"It's here." she murmured, moving away to give him room to stand, she didn't catch his eye as he straightened, taking in a deep breath as he looked at the glittering buildings across the water, didn't say anything as he looked at her while extending his hand. She grabbed it, letting him pull her up to stand alongside him. He gave her a soft nod, which she returned as the two of them walked away from the rocky ledge, stepping through the bushes towards the railing that ran next to the ramp down.

He stopped, staring at the ground for a moment, absent-mindedly placing a hand on the smooth wooden post nearby, tracing the swirls and grooves on its surface with his finger. He looked at her. "We'll still be the same."

Once again she nodded, not trusting herself to say anything that wasn't stupid or overly manic, automatically her fingers moved at his touch, and closed around his as he moved closer to her. Still she didn't say anything, settling for resting her head on his shoulder.

After a few seconds of silent comfort, she finally managed to sort herself out a little. "I know, it's just... you'll be pretty far away, and I won't be able to see you as much, not to mention the damn reporters following everything I-"

"Hey. We'll make it work. Shouldn't be hard to do." He grabbed her shoulders and smiled warmly, further proving the point that he wouldn't change.

She couldn't help but be reassured by him. She nodded, before moving forward and locking her lips with his, wrapping her arms around his waist, not realizing that she had him pinned up against the railing. He didn't mind though. "We'll be the same?"

Mako nodded. "Of course we will."

* * *

"So are you _positive _that's everything? Including the industrial strength hair straightener?" Tai poked a strange looking piece of machinery, prompting Asami to sigh and roll her eyes.

He looked up as Kaze barked, a signal for Asami to come over and give the wolf a scratch behind the ears, while extending a finger in sequence as she mentally tallied everything. A second later she nodded, smirking as she bent over to pick up the Hair Straightener he had just taken out of the case, placing it firmly back where it belonged.

"Definitely." She took a deep breath and stretched, resting a hand on her hip as Bolin walked over, fresh from another poking session from Bumi, who by now had practically leapt in a single bound onto the boat's deck, fending off aerial assaults from two giggling children.

She looked at the sweeping vista for a moment, trying to contain the flutter in her chest by focusing on the always-beautiful lights of the city. A thought came to mind, and she turned to the two boys."You'll come visit me, won't you?"

"Sure will. I want to see how this new-fangled 'Dragster' handles!" She sighed at the ever-present sarcasm coming out of the airbender's mouth. Which was in stark contrast to Bolin.

"As much as possible. Daily? No, maybe weekly?" Bolin snapped his fingers. "Got it. Totally as much as possible." He grinned as she chuckled, getting a smile as she wiped her hands on her pants.

Asami stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the two of them. "Thanks, guys."

"Can we get in on this?" The three of them turned, seeing Korra and Mako standing there. Tai groaned just loud enough to be heard as she said this, getting a roll of the eyes from the avatar as she moved closer to the three of them, Mako moving and standing a little farther away.

She didn't skip a beat as she hugged Asami. "Don't be a stranger." she smiled as Asami nodded, before frowning like she had forgot something. "Oh! And if there's anything you need, I'm there."

Asami chuckled. "Thank you, Korra." The two girls watched Bolin moving towards his older brother, nervously touching the tips of his fingers together.

"Still can't believe you're doing this- tha- I mean you've always wanted to be one- and I think it really suits you-"

"Bo, I'll still be close by." He stopped his babbling, and smiled weakly, moving in to wrap his older brother in as big a hug as possible, and as long as possible.

"Bo. Ribs." Mako choked out, Bolin's eyes widening in alarm for a moment as he released him, giving air a free passage to his lungs. Mako nodded to show that he was fine, and stepped back towards the boat, eyeing the crotchety bald man at the wheel, who was making obscene gestures. "I definitely think we're leaving now."

Bolin nodded, snapping off a quick salute as Mako walked up the gangplank nearby, throwing looks back at both him and Korra as Asami followed him up, waving at them.

With a let of the steam, the boat slowly moved away from the pierside, swaying on the water as the engine worked to turn the bow towards the glittering vista of Republic City in the distance. A horn blew, and lights on the front winked on as the boat began to pull away from the little island, leaving the three teens standing alone on the pier.

* * *

**土**


	3. A New Council, The Chase, and The Match

__土

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

Even the Lemurs were asleep at this hour.

The only source of noise on the entire island was the wind as it blew northward, rushing over the roofs of the dormitories and greenhouses, and curving around the towering spire marking the islands highest point, completely dominating the surrounding buildings, forests and pathways that sat around its base.

Air Temple Island's collective residents were soundly asleep, as they should have been at this time in the morning.

The peace was shattered by the piercing cry of an infant rolling all across the island, the source being a large window looking into a simply furnished family bedroom.

Tenzin's eyes fluttered open, and immediately a scratchy feeling surfaced at the back of his throat. He blinked the sleep away as the woman next to him rolled over again, eyes closed as she reached a finger to tap his shoulder. "Honey." She muttered, the words nearly lost underneath the sheets as she groaned. "Your turn."

Sluggishly he nodded, closing his hand around hers for a moment before sitting up in the bed, quietly shifting the sheets off of his lap and onto his wife and their youngest son, whose mouth was wide open as sounds resembling the noise Oogi makes came out of him. Rubbing a hand down his face he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, barely registering the cold floorboards rubbing against the soles of his feet as he straightened, stretching and yawning as he quietly padded out of the room and into the hallway.

Rohan's cries only grew louder in his ears as he reached the edge of the sliding door, he gently pushed it open, just enough for him to step through and into the spacious and open room, which rays of softly illuminated dust were beginning to fill, coming down from the windows and rafters that dotted the upper portion of the walls. He walked towards the circular crib sitting in the center of the room, a heavy curtain hiding the baby within from view and shielding him from the steadily brightening room.

He gripped the edge of the porous fabric with his finger and pulled it back; folding it over the top of the curtain as a pair of tiny grey eyes stared up at him, ringed with some redness as his fourth son continued to bawl.

"Daddy's here." he murmured, bending forward to scoop Rohan into his arms, the touches of a smile on him as the baby began to noticeably quieten, his cries slowly dieing away and being replaced with what could be called slightly content noises.

The chime of a nearby clock nearly pulled his son back into a foul mood, and Tenzin quickly rocked his arms back and forth, trying to keep him happy as he moved towards the clock sitting alone on a shelf nearby. He grimaced when he realized how late he was going to be.

Rohan made a noise, and Tenzin sighed as he extended his pinky, letting a miniscule pair of hands close around the tip and start tugging and pulling, for reasons that still weren't revealed to him after three children, trying to dislocate his finger seemed to make Rohan very happy, far more happy than Tenzin thought he should be, at the thought of what his father must have had to contend with bringing Bumi up, Tenzin felt a spike of dread.

No, Rohan would never be like that. Ikki and Meelo were _enough_.

He shook the distracting thoughts away as he heard a happy gurgle, although still feeling the ever-present tug as he headed back into the hallway and into the bedroom, seeing that Pema had ever so momentously changed her facing on the bed, and was now facing towards the door rather than the window. Meanwhile Meelo was bouncing up and down on the bed, probably the reason she had a pillow covering her head.

"Meelo, stop disturbing your mother and come over here." he said in as gentle a voice as possible, for both Rohan's and Pema's sake. The hyperactive child immediately stopped what he was doing, the floorboards protesting at the full force he put into landing as he ran towards his father.

"Yeah, daddy?" The small child asked, already tugging and pulling on Tenzin's pants.

Tenzin squatted down and looked him in the eye. "Daddy's got to go to work soon, that means I'm leaving you in charge of taking care of your little brother until mom wakes up." He looked down at the little baby currently rolling around in his arms for a few seconds, before nodding for Meelo to hold him. The child had a awestruck look on him as he very carefully wrapped his arms around his baby brother, even sticking out his tongue in intense concentration.

"I'll be extra careful!" he said excitedly, getting a happy laugh from Rohan at the same time. Tenzin smiled and patted him on the head, before straightening and moving towards the wardrobe nearby, keeping a eye on Meelo as he ambled out into the hallway with Rohan in his arms. He looked back to the wardrobe, flipping a latch on the side and swinging the doors wide open, being greeted with many crimson robes and cloaks. He rubbed his beard as he touched the edge of one of them, seeing a rip in the sleeve and, as he peered closer, more scratches and rips throughout the whole robe.

He shook his head and went for the immaculate one hanging next to it, placing the billowy cloak and tunic on the hamper nearby. He walked over and closed the door opening into the hallway, then unbuttoned his pajama shirt, shrugging it off and tossing it in the waiting mouth of the hamper. He straightened out a few kinks in the tunic before pulling it over his head and down his chest, with that done he pulled a pair of yellow pants on, grabbing the crimson sash draped over the hanger nearby and wrapping it around his waist, tying it off in a loose knot.

Grabbing the cloak nearby, he threw it over his shoulders and, connecting the brass clasps on either half together. He moved towards the bed as Pema rolled over again, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead before turning and leaving the room.

"Look who's _late_." He rolled his eyes at the grinning old man, getting the feeling that those still energetic green eyes were laughing at him. Tenzin folded his arms and adjusted his cloak, subtly manipulating the wind around himself to get some dignified whipping around going.

"A airbender arrives with the wind." Tenzin's sagely words had almost nil effect on the older man, who actually started laughing from his spot on the marble steps.

"Apologies, my friend, but the wind arrived _before you did_." He laughed even harder at the twitch that was beginning to show in Tenzin's eye, which the man took great lengths in trying to repress.

"Hello as well, _Shizu_." The stress Tenzin put on his name was hopefully enough to get the old man to stop laughing, which only started to subside as he started coughing and sputtering.

As usual Tenzin worried whenever his old friend had these fits, and as usual Shizu always laughed it away. "I'm alright, lad. Just getting old is all."

"Hmph. I wish you'd stop calling me that." He grumbled, patting Oogi's flank to get him moving towards his preferred resting spot as Tenzin walked towards the bottom of the steps, looking like he was gliding rather than actually walking up. "Exactly how late am I?"

"Oh... by about half an hour." Shizu grinned as he sighed, mind already turning to how embarrassing this would be if, no, _when_, the paparazzi caught wind of it. "The new representatives feel they've been stood up, I think you hurt their feelings."

Rather than taking the bait, Tenzin was curious. He arched a eyebrow as he kept going up the steps, Shizu falling into step with him. "Yes. It's strange that we haven't received any information on them from the usual sources. Have you talked to them yet?"

"I thought it best to wait for you to show up before talking with a old fart and a racist idiot." Tenzin had already confirmed it, the old man just didn't want to be alone with them. That could mean several things. "But if it helps, Lin and Makei are in there right now. And do you know that your brother is-"

"Yes, I know." A sigh escaped him, and a small part of him was convinced that the higher ups of the United Forces were punishing him somehow. He came face to face with the massive wooden doors that granted entrance to the buildings interior, reaching a hand towards one of the massive brass rings before glancing at Shizu. "Shall we?"

"When you're ready." The old man teased, getting a sigh from Tenzin as he pushed the doors open, the loud squeaks and grinds of the hinges announcing the pair's arrival to the occupants at the end of the long room. As the noise of the doors passage subsided, Tenzin caught snippets of a 'conversation' already underway, and he winced at the use of some of the words being used.

"-on't care where you're from! Where you _are_, things are done differently!" He heard the angry tones of Lin Beifong, looking as sleek as ever in her armor. A sigh came from the taller man next to her, dressed the same way she was.

"Lin-" He was cut off almost immediately, drowned out by a tone of self-assurance and mild smugness. "I suggest you watch your tone, _woman_, unless for the second time in recent memory, you'll be Police Chief no longer!"

The silence carried an undercurrent of implied violence, something which Tenzin could sense in the disturbed air as well. Shizu glanced at him. "And now you know why I chose to wait." He nodded, before adjusting his cloak and walking down the hall, drawing himself up to his full height and making sure each step was measured and resounded loudly, enough to get the attention of the four people bickering around the square table at the end of the room.

"I apologize for my tardiness-"

"Hmph, bet it was planned-" He stopped as he noticed Lin's scowl, which she had just turned onto him, completely ignoring the glowering and almost livid golden-eyed old man standing behind her, his hands bunched into fists as he stared daggers at the back of her head. He shook his head with a sigh when he saw Makei's shrugging shoulders, moving forward and thinking as many calm thoughts as possible. Council meetings always got to him even at the best of times. And this was not even remotely close to a good time.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Councillors." He bowed twice, once towards the incredibly wizened Fire Nation representative, who he noted stole dark glances at Lin every once in a while. And _other_ _kinds_ of glances, he noted with a side of distaste for the man. For his part, the fat man from the Northern Water Tribe, his head shaved completely bald and looking straight at him with a pair of permanently shadowed blue eyes, stood there quiet as a mouse, his hands hidden from sight inside voluminous sleeves.

When she saw Tenzin, Lin's features softened and she relaxed her stance a little, folding her arms and stepping off to the side, moving towards a side of the table that didn't have those two on it. As he came closer she gave him a small nod.

Makei threw an apologetic look at him as he went over to join her, standing by her side with his hands clasped behind his back. As Shizu moved towards the table, he smiled warmly at Lin, a way of apologising for his colleague's sakes as he stood on the side of the table nearest Tenzin, who joined him.

Before the current dark looks being exchanged between two sides of the table could go any further, he cleared his throat, waiting until the council page had joined them before going ahead. "Council is in session: This meeting will be covering the disconcerting accident rates in recent months, the preparations concerning Kor's- the avatar's ceremony, and the opening discussions concerning a non-bender position on the council once more. Commander Beifong, as Saikhan's representative during today's proceedings, is there anything to report?"

He watched as her professional side surfaced. She nodded stiffly, noticeably working not to throw anymore scowls or childish looks at the two new representatives. "Over the past few months, with my men stretched thin, the Triads have gained a alarming amount of influence in the less well-off sections of the city, with the Agni Kais enjoying the largest of these increases."

"Councilman Tenzin, I may be fresh from the Northern Water Tribe, having only arrived recently at Chieftain Unalaq's instruction as my people's representative in this city. But I must ask as to why your Chief Saikhan has not attended the meeting himself?"

Lin barely contained a annoyed growl directed at Pok, his eyes firmly on Tenzin.

Tenzin laced his fingers together, looking through them at Pok. He knew the story of this guy, heard the rumors about his past acquaintances among the Triads. Some even thought he even knew Yakone once upon a time. He also knew that Unalaq would never have sent someone like Pok as representative of the Northern Water Tribe. After this meeting was over, he would need to ask around about the 'Councilman'. "Saikhan, and many more citizens of Republic City have had to cope with their bending being ripped away from them by Amon over the past few months. As he no longer has the ability to metalbend he has been forced to assume a management position in the Police Force."

"Ah yes. Amon and his 'Equalists. It is surprising that his followers were able to inflict such a large sum of damage over such a large stretch of time." For a moment Pok's eyes went shark-like as they bored into Lin. "I have heard much said of the efficiency of Republic City's metalbending protectors. Yet the reports I have seen state otherwise. As do their recent performance as of late.

Tenzin narrowed his eyes while on Lin's side of the table, Makei placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from doing anything the councilman was going to regret.

Lin glanced daggers at Makei as she backed down, only just. He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders, staring straight at Pok and Wu. "With all due respect, Councilman that is a inaccurate statement at best. Manpower has been at a low ever since the Equalists took the bending of many of our officers, but we have taken steps to address it by running recruitment drives within Republic City's population for anyone with metalbending potential. With the Kais growing stronger and the Red Monsoons having deserted their known hiding places and haunts, we need to be careful about how we deal with them."

"Can you not drive them _out_?" Makei's face was impressively passive as he glanced at the old Fire Nation man, whose eyes seemed to absolutely brim with cunning, contrasted by his hands having a constant shake and a slightly labored expression, as if standing up was too much for him to handle.

"We can not, councilman Wu. Every man and woman is needed up top, if we send them down there, they won't come back-" Again his face managed to keep neutral as the slightly high tones of the Northern Tribe echoed throughout the room,without any concern for the rest of the occupant's ears.

"Yes, we've read into the reports on the gang's leadership, who are all reputed to be bloodbenders, if I'm not mistaken?" Makei pretended not to notice the filed points the man's teeth bore as he 'smiled'.

"You are not, councilman. Out of all the triads, the Monsoons have always been the biggest enigma, and owing to that, we have been unable to pin down its leadership ever since Toph herself led the force. But you have nothing to fear from them, at any sign of activity on their part, my men can be underground in ten minutes flat. Although I'd like to keep it from going that far." He nodded to assure the man, whose pudgy features shifted into a slightly strained grin that once again showed off those fangs.

"You and your men have my personal gratitude, commander." He nodded, and Makei certainly didn't miss the fact that he completely ignored Lin. "Now if we are done here, how about preparations concerning our lovely avatar's... 'rebending' ceremony?"

"They're well underway, Pok. Once tonight's match is finished, men from Future Industries will work on turning that building into a beacon of hope for those menaced by Amon." Shizu nodded at him, then at Tenzin as he scratched his beard thoughtfully, giving an intense look at the list in his hands.

"Very good, Shizu. Tenzin," He looked up from the list at Pok. "-I must ask when I can be granted a audience with Avatar Korra? We have not had the grand delight of making her acquaintance as of yet and-"

Tenzin nodded without listening, instead about to voice his concerns about the non-bender position when Wu cleared his throat loudly and abrasively. "I have a complaint regarding the choice of representative for the non-benders, he does not seem best suited-" The doors crashed open, and instantly hooked ends of cabling slid out of Lin's and Makei's wrist launchers, ready to launch at a moments notice towards the disturbance.

Tenzin's eye twitched when he noticed the browned leather boots clacking on the marble floor, scuffing them with little marks of dust with each touch, the immaculate cream pants, with a not so immaculate dirt mark running down the side, hitched up by a impressive looking belt faced with a oddly plain looking brass buckle, sticking out above the belt was the polished basket of a calvary saber, which gave way to a length of silvery metal ending in a diamond-shaped tip, a sword fit for any commander. The man's crimson waist coat did little to hide the muscles on his upper chest and arms, throwing the image of a superhuman hypercompetent man that was the perfect candidate for the position. Or at least, that's what looking at Bumi from a distance would have you think.

He arched a eyebrow at the uncharacteristic giggle from Lin, who immediately put a straight face back on as the clacking stopped, and the man's wild grin and even wilder hair left quite a impression on the stunned Pok and Wu. For his part, Makei grinned and saluted his old friend. The constant thud of a marble hitting the leather of the man's waiting palm imprinted itself into Tenzin, whose doubts and uncertainties concerning the position only grew as he watched his brother confidently stride up those steps, grinning as he gave Makei a fist bump, and Lin a playful punch in the shoulder and a whisper in her ear.

Silence almost filled the room except for Shizu's attempts to contain his amusement, and as Bumi noticed the two shocked men standing on the other side of the table, he waved at them, dropping the marble onto the table. "I apologize for my tardiness I... Ah stuff it. Hello!" What started out as a serious tone and rather obvious imitation of his little brother, shifted into a very... whimsical tone, a perfect match for the man who owned the voice. "So... what did I miss?"

"You didn't 'miss' anything, Commander Bumi." Wu had a undoubted tone of disgust to his voice, reminding Tenzin of the man's history of aligning with pro-bender groups in the Fire Nation, a man like him wouldn't even be considered for a Council position in normal times, however they were forced to scrape from the bottom of the barrel, and Fire Lord Rin couldn't spare anyone else.

Pok's mouth seemed to open and close like that of a Koifish's, while Wu seemed to be failing at containing the raw indignation and fury contained within, making it look like he was shaking impossibly violently. Tenzin was about to speak, about to calm the two of them down when the sound of squealing tires ripped through the room, and the sound of boots running up steps reached their ears.

The massive double doors swung open, and the face of the young officer Mako peered through. "I'll take care of it." he reassured them,the door closed with a resounding thud, and the sound of running boots resumed again.

Tenzin already saw Lin and Makei nodding at one another, before looking at the rest of them. "Meetings over." They turned around to run towards the doors when they stopped, perplexed at seeing the tail end of a crimson waistcoat disappear through the door.

The perplexed look on his face grew larger as a familiar brown-skinned woman poked her head through the door, a smirk on how her brother had just ran past to put a stop to whatever was going on. "Sorry I'm late!" her voice echoed down the length of the main hall, her eyes lighting up as they saw her old friend. "Hey Lin!"

* * *

Mako pumped his arms as hard as he could, keeping both eyes glued to the back of the grey painted van which was just about to reach the corner as he ran towards his bike, which stood just across the road on the parkside.

The sound of squealing tires started to make his teeth grate, and as he swung a leg over the leather seat, wisps of smoke carrying the smell of burnt rubber reached his nostrils, irritating the back of his throat as he pulled a pair of thick lensed goggles over his eyes, before twisting and grabbing the helmet sitting on the bar just behind the seat.

He slapped its side to make sure it wouldn't budge, and grabbed the handlebars, he keyed the ignition, and strummed the accelerator with his boot, using the other to get the kickstand just before the bike lurched forward, a signal that he could now accelerate.

The surrounding buildings began to whip past, and the glittering gaudiness of city hall was left behind, replaced by a comparatively dirty stretch of apartment buildings, which looked to Mako like the richest people on the planet lived in them, he levelled the bike out, grateful that the morning traffic wouldn't get in his way for at least another half-hour. He kept a eye on the side alleys, wary that even though the van would most likely be finding itself wall-to-wall, a desperate enough crim could barge his way through the dumpsters and trash, getting a massive gap between them and him in the process.

He didn't need to play host to those thoughts any longer, when the grey doors of the speeding van taunted him from fifty meters away, behind the goggles he narrowed his eyes, and gunned the accelerator to coax the bike forward, before being forced to stop his acceleration from creeping to far ahead, otherwise he would overshoot the van and most likely lose control.

The noise carried to him as the doors crashed open, and he saw the face of a very large waterbender contort in anger. The man's yell barely reached his ears as his meaty arms moved in slow movements that looked a bit strange being performed by someone like him, a large stream of water snaked its way through the space above the man's head, twisting away from the top of the water tank inside the van as the man's hands guided it into a single large ball, definitely something that would easily send Mako and his motorcycle to the shop for repairs.

He narrowed his eyes, and began tapping a finger up and down on the end of the handlebar to mentally keep count of the projectile's flight time. On the tenth tap the ball began spinning towards him, foam and wisps of water being violently shaken off from the raw velocity behind its passage. One. Mako had to hand it to the big guy, what he didn't have in creativity, he backed up with more than enough raw muscle to suffice, thinking about muscles briefly took him away from current events, instead providing him with a very nice image of Korra during that beach party two months ago. The waterbender shouted at the gang member driving the van, shaking Mako out of his head and getting him focusing on the chase again. Two.

Mako shook his head vigorously, dispelling the image as he resumed count. Three. The sphere continued sailing towards him, using its spin to keep up a level momentum as it surged forwards, at this point likely to land directly on the young man's chest, possibly shattering a few ribs or so.

He didn't like that, so once he hit the count of four, he sprang into action, using the smaller gap between him and the van as a advantage, he sparked a flame above his open palm, quickly engorging it into a large ball as he extended his arm out to the side, holding it steady over the rushing concrete and ashphalt underneath, he flicked his wrist downwards, and kept his fingers clenched, using the simple technique to disturb the fragile structure of the flame ball. He kept his mind focused on projecting the flames in a column towards the ground, the intense thrust coming from the large jet beginning to decelerate his bike, even though it was almost hitting top speed.

He slammed his foot down on the handbrake, locking the front wheel as he wrenched the handlebar to the side, resulting in his stomach lurching as his vision twisted and changed in orientation to the ground, with the open road being quickly replaced by a line of storefronts and stalls, behind some of which stood the gaping expressions of vendors and merchants aiming to prepare for the morning rush. He kept the stream going for a few more seconds, waiting until the churning ball of water slammed past his vision, shattering the front window of a gaudy red dragster parked on the corner turnoff from city hall.

Immediately he thinned out the stream of fire, feeling it drag less and less on the bike he sat on before concentrating for a moment. The stream of flames changed direction, now flowing back towards him and straightening his motorcycle almost instantly. The warm feeling of the flames lingered on his palm, and he ignored the growing itch that came with the leather rubbing against the skin there.

He focused on the shocked features of the large waterbender as he worked to clear his mind, finding the elusive center his dad seemed to make out to be so easy to find, the thought of that made him chuckle, seeing as he usually only found his center when focusing on what could go wrong. But not this time.

A certain part of him beckoned, and a picture of a blue eyed girl smiling occupied his thoughts, suddenly making that center easier to find.

Mako opened his eyes, and he extended his index and middle finger together, as a tiny blue spark fizzled into existence just above their tips. The calm blue glow being thrown off the steadily growing spark belied the vicious power contained within, filled him with a familiar focus, and he narrowed his eyes as he slowly brought his arm up and forward, pushing the concern of keeping the bike level into a corner of his mind, filling the rest with nothing but calculation and reasoned estimates concerning distance and travel time.

He nodded once as the energy gathering above his fingers started billowing out in forks of electricity lashing at the air, and starting to send some of that energy back into Mako's body, being translated into tiny tremors traveling up the muscles his arm. He closed his eyes again, and took a deep breath, feeling a slight shudder go through him as the incredible energy contained within the nimbus of sparks kept running up and down his arm, setting his teeth on edge and leaving a prickling sensation all down it.

A certain clarity surfaced in him, and he opened his eyes, exhaled, and released.

The nimbus of energy responded immediately, several crackling arcs coalescing into a jagged stream that immediately punched forwards, finishing its passage with the smell of burnt rubber and melted metal.

The van began to fishtail, its back wheel all but obliterated as chunks of burnt rubber fell from it and onto the road, leaving a easy trail for Mako to track as it continued to swerve to and fro wildly, having lost the careful balancing all four wheels provided.

Amazing the unseen managed to get it back under semi control, and the large vehicle ceased its fishtailing. Mako cursed and shook away the tingling on his fingertip, preparing another burst of lightning when a large ramp of earth jutted upwards underneath the van, sending it sailing into the air and over a line of stalls in the market square ahead. Mako cursed and gunned it as a large heavily tanned arm appeared from a window in the cab, the fingers spread apart as the ramp started to jerkily recede back into the street.

He loosed a quick fireball at the side of the van as it touched down on the other side of the stalls, scaring the unseen earthbender into pulling his arm back inside and leaving the ramp to spring back to it normal height, he smirked as he gunned the engine, coaxing a quick boost of speed from the bike as it mounted the ramp, all of which dropped away as he guided the now airborne bike over the top of the stalls and awed owners, making sure to keep the front wheel oriented above the back, while wrestling it to keep on a straight line towards the opposite street, which the van was bouncing down, slowly picking up lost speed just as his bike's back wheel touched down on the concrete.

The entire frame shuddered, and he held on tightly as the front wheel crashed down, jolting him around as he gunned the engine, tearing off in hot pursuit after the gradually speeding van. The whine of the engine was all he could hear, serving to help him focus on the road ahead, and the turnoff coming up.

He slammed the handbrake, locking up the front wheel as he twisted the handlebars,, the entire bike leaning as he skidded around the corner, almost hitting the edge of the curb with the front wheel in the process. He winced at the skid marks he left behind, hoping that wouldn't be detracted from his pay, city officials could get _so worked up about that stuff_.

Another street, this time starting to fill with black satomobiles going either direction. Mako swore under his breath but continued forward, swerving in and out of the traffic, trying not to lose sight of the van, his eyes widened for a moment when it disappeared amongst a growing sea of black roofs, but relaxed when he spotted a strip of rubber lying on the road corner ahead, no doubt left there after a reckless turn around that corner.

He narrowed his eyes and gunned it once more, pulling a smooth turn through the intersection, accidentally running a red light in the process. Luckily he wouldn't get docked for that one. Hopefully.

The street ahead was completely empty of cars, only playing host to a gradually slowing van that, as he guided his bike closer, seemed to be getting knocked about from the inside, like something was trying to get out. If there was a poodle-tiger in there, he would definitely need backup. He brought his hand, aiming a spark of electricity at the van's back wheel, looking to disable it without completely wrecking it in the process.

His quarry slowed, and the back doors were flung open again, with the snarling visage of the large waterbender looking back at him, with quite a few bruises now showing on his blocky features. Mako watched a snarl form as the man flung his hands out, calling a great torrent of water to stream out of the metal tank, and onto the road, form and cohesion not even being considered as it swept towards Mako and his bike.

The young man acted quickly, just as he felt the tires losing traction, he gunned the engine, making the bike work harder to keep its speed up as he pointed his finger at the van's tortured back wheel. With a quick rush of warmth he released the spark, and it shot forward, punching into the torn rubber tire and making a beeline straight for the metal hubcap, then traveling down the axle and into the undercarriage of the van.

This accomplished several things. The rubber tire popped, releasing curls of black smoke from their hollow innards, and the hubcap shot away from the wheel like a speeding bullet, slamming through a unfortunate store window in the process. With every tire a smoking wreck, the van started to tumble into a roll, great sheets of metal being torn off as it rolled on its horizontal, soon skidding and shuddering to a halt on the road.

He slowed the bike gradually, stopping a few metres away from the now smoking wreck. He took off his helmet, hooking it on the bike's backbar as he swung a leg over the side, kicking down the kickstand in the process. He walked slowly and cautiously towards the downed van, keeping a hand at the ready in case any of the occupants still had any fight left in them.

A noise came from the dark interior visible through the twisted and rent doors, and Mako narrowed his eyes and summoned a flame, preparing himself for whoever was in there. "Police! Don't try anything!" he shouted with some force, mentally going through a list of maneuvers and techniques as he watched someone, actually _two someones_, moving about inside the dark interior, the sounds of muffled pained grunts reaching his ears. He swallowed and very quickly moved around the side of the van, checking to see a man with a green bandana on his head slumped in the passenger seat, with a another man next to him, head down on the wheel, orange colored glasses hiding his eyes from view.

Mako doubled back, in time for a final pained grunt and a dropping sigh to come from the darkened interior. He blinked twice when a very limber young woman clambered out of the wreck, keeping her grey eyes fixed on him, and a gloved hand hovering near the hilt of some small sword sheathed on her back.

He narrowed his eyes, vaguely recalling someone similar to her that was part of the Equalist patrol that had found them in the sewers during Amon's takeover.

She didn't blink as she eyed him cautiously, slowly circling towards the side of the van. Mako stepped forward, holding his hands up and dissipating the flame. "Miss, keep calm-" with no warning she took off, sprinting towards a dark little side alley, hopping on top of a dumpster near the entrance and lunging for a fire escape hanging above it. Mako swore and ran to the entrance of the alley, trying to keep a eye on the occupants of the van while watching her reach the edge of the roof above, a strange jingling sound coming from the box slung underneath the sheathed weapon.

He grimaced at the thought of all of that climbing, when the sound of cables being fired made him stop. He waited a few seconds, seeing Makei and Lin appear at the edge of the roof, each with a hand on the young woman, who struggled to get out of the metal cables binding her.

Mako sprinted towards the nearest fire escape, ready to climb up when he heard Lin swear. "Damn it! She slipped past us!"

* * *

_Pro-bending Arena._

The noise was deafening, and the shape of the space only served to funnel down towards them, drowning out any possibility of forethought and planning.

"Okay. What's the game plan, chief?" He froze as she said that, and for a moment all he could think about was whether he fed Pabu before leaving him in the attic, what if he didn't? Even worse, what if he forgot to _bathe him as well_? Now his head was full of doubts, and not for the first time was he stuck wondering if he really was cut out for this. "... Bolin?"

He suppressed a squeak as he turned slowly, hating how his teeth were already set on edge, seeing Korra looking at him with a weird expression for a few seconds, before going back to tightening the laces on her boots, looking down in time to miss the very... inappropriate leers being lavished on her by a large and round boy, whose yellow eyes looked to be almost suppressed by the level of skin around them.

Bolin sighed before smiling and giving her a thumbs up. "Oh, right! Game plan! Ha, ha!" he knew his voice sounded nervous, but some irrational part of him thought that the tones coming out were manly and rock-solid, not at all squeaky and more than a little nervous. He looked back down at the floor, finding that he was breathing much faster for some reason. Mako was the one with the plans! Not him! "Ummm..." he searched for a excuse as she tilted her head, her eyes full of trust, which got him thinking about those very same eyes being full of disappointment.

"We could use the three tone switcheroo!" A very boisterous voice offered, intersected by oddly loud breathing.

He turned, a big a smile as possible as he ignored the girl rolling her eyes. "No that's okay, Hosh! I've got something up my sleeve, um... we'll start off with something simple, then as we get into it, we attack!" He drove the point by slamming a fist into his open palm, hopefully one that would get through.

Korra's eyes lit up as she shifted on the bench to better face him. "So, I keep to the sides, block any shots they get at you two, while Hosh retaliates and you defend?"

"Uh, yeah, actually." He looked at the floor, scowling a little as he watched another look being leveled at her backside by Hosh while trying to hide his level of surprise from Korra.

"Can you handle that, Hosh?" She asked, directing it at the heavyset boy. The kid's eyes were eager, although she had to admit, they held a certain level of... _strangeness_... to them. But she wouldn't let that put her off. He was her teammate now. Not Mako. And that was that.

"Yep, nothing to it. I've watched every single game you guys have ever played!" She smiled as he grinned at her, both thumbs up, the helmet slipped down over his face, and once more she was reminded of his absence.

Clapping and applause reached her ears, amongst shouting and what would classify as drunken singing. She looked at Bolin, noticing the wide look that had settled in his eyes. She moved over and slapped him on the shoulder, grinning as he gave her a nervous thumbs up.

He took her offered hand, taking deep breaths in and out as he straightened his helmet, squared his shoulders, and stopped his teeth from quietly grinding. Not his thoughts though, as he kept coming back to the realization that he was well and truly going out there without his brother.

"Wow, thought I was too late." He stiffened for a moment, turning around and seeing Mako leaning on the doorframe, a motorcycle helmet cradled in his arm.

Immediately he squared his shoulders, and a lazy grin appeared on him as he walked over. "Nearly, we're just about to head out now." His confident tones would surely mask the nervousness that still occupied his thoughts and stomach.

His brother's hand fell on his shoulder as he glanced at Korra, seeing her practically hopping from foot to foot near the entrance to the lift. He looked away from her, and back at Mako. "You'll do fine." he said quietly, his hand squeezing a little before he moved over to Korra, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before waving goodbye to her.

He stopped for a moment in front of Hosh. "Don't get cocky, Bo' knows what he's doing." The kid looked at him incredulously, nodding dumbly as he left the room.

"He _talked to me_." Hosh said with breathless wonder, fixated on that lone fact and nothing else.

Korra tapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, gotta game to play." She steered the plump kid towards the lift entrance, before moving towards Bolin, who was still standing there, a rare look of genuine doubt on him as he stared at the floor. She waved a hand underneath his face, and when that failed she leveled a soft punch at his shoulder. "We're all set, captain." She grinned as that shook him out of the stink he was in, leading the way towards the lift entrance.

Bolin nodded, sure that everything would turn out fine as he followed her towards the lift, standing side by side with a old teammate and a new as the metal platform underneath their feet shuddered to life, the hydraulics easily capable of ensuring a smooth and relatively quick ride up to the top. The curved metal walls of the lower arena gradually moved out of his vision, being replaced by the bright and gaudy logos of sponsors and companies, a great deal more of them in place thanks to the services rendered during the arena clean up.

His view changed again, replaced with a sea of faces, all at different levels of anticipation and their excitement roaring down towards him and his team, drowning out any chance of him being able to collect himself. Deep breaths. You can do this. Nothing has changed.

"And nowwww folks! On this lovely little evening, we have two long-time teams duking it out!" The familiar voice of the announcer sounded so alien to him, and for a moment Bolin couldn't get thoughts of screwing up out of his head. "Introducing our first team, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!" The elevator was now rising to the level of the playing field, and he could now see the make-up covered features of the lanky announcer, dressed in his trademark black suit with pink necktie, gestured wildly at different points in the crowd.

Bolin winced at how the applause and excited shouts had changed to boos and insults so quickly, and in a little corner of his head, he was certain that Asami must be feeling horrible. He shook them away, focusing on the preset and the match as the announcer continued his call-outs. He exhaled as he stepped away from the platform, putting a big grin as he waved to the crowd, whose boos had steadily dropped away as they spotted him and Korra walking onto the playing field, their admiration of him and their respect of the avatar undercutting their hatred for Future Industries.

"Annnnnd the second team! The Tigerdillos!" Bolin saw the serious features of the Tigerdillo captain, Han, behind the clear plastic visor of his helmet, a green strip running from the edge of the visor over the top of his helmet, the firebender of the team, who he knew as Yomo, seemed to have sense the boy's nervousness, playing on it with a lazy and shark-like smirk that threatened many things.

He didn't recognise the waterbender, thinking with a tinge of sadness that Hu must have been one of the people Amon had de-bended. He shook the thought away, focusing on them as opponents rather than people, a distinction he thought a captain needed to make. He caught Korra's eye, taking solace in the familiar blue tones and her easy smile.

The nixie tube marking the first match rang, and the characters on it changed from a lifeless grey to a bright green. The crowd went wild as immediately a flurry of fire blasts and water balls flung themselves at him, forcing him back towards the rim of the second zone and leaving him teetering precariously over it for a second, before he regained balance and ducked under them, punching forward to command the earth discs resting nearby to rise up and fly forwards.

A pair of them were blasted apart instantly by Yomo, and another was easily blocked by Han, who crouched down and flung his arms forwards, a group of discs floating behind his back spun away from him and towards Bolin, who froze as he tried to remember his own words about the plan, mentally going back through them and-

Korra skidded to a halt in front of him, her arms crossed in front of her body as she was forced back a little by each discs shattering against her arms. She stole a glance at Bolin for a moment, before stepping forward and twisting her arms around, lifting a thick glob of water away from the drain and sending it on a curve towards Yomo's flank, the Firebender not seeing it before feeling it. It slammed into his side, bowling him over and across the second zone drains, sliding to a halt in the middle of the second zone.

Shiro Shinobi's voice echoed down to them, still the same excited and slightly whimsical tones coming from the iconic man. "And Yomo's now in the second zone! Courtesy of a curveball from the Avatar!"

Bolin averted the brief look of concern coming from her, instead dancing away to avoid a oncoming rush of water strikes from the nameless waterbender, sweating a little at how furious his onslaught was. A particularly ouch-worthy one twisted towards him out of the corner of his eye, forcing Bolin back again as he raised a group of discs into the air, slotting them behind one another as he locked his feet firmly in place, preparing to turtle the oncoming blow.

It slammed into the discs, sending tremors through them as Bolin gritted his teeth, noticing that the spinning mass was still moving forwards. A idea came to him, and he twisted to the side, leading with his feet as the front discs began to shatter and break from the force. He let them drop towards the floor and allow the projectile through, standing still a second as it spun towards him, aiming for the chest.

He counted the seconds away mentally, before opening his eyes and narrowly twisting around the stream of water, lifting his arms up and aiming at the discs about to touch the floor. They responded immediately as their fall was arrested, settling above one another as his one second time limit neared. He sent them forwards in a spread, each one slamming into a surprised Han and his nameless teammate, who cried out as the force of them proved too great for him to handle, and he was sent flinging over the edge and into the water below.

"Tigerdillo's Lau is in the drink after a groundbreaking display from the young Bolin! Speaking of which, Gaojo Gardens has _your _needs covered..."

Han showed a bit of anger in his eyes as he launched his own discs, looking straight at Bolin for a few moments, looking as if he was going to level a vicious onslaught at the boy. Bolin noticed Hosh in the corner of his eye, and he watched as the rival earthbender fixed on him instead, the discs responding by curving one by one into the kid's chest. In a second Hosh was off the ring and into the waters below.

Bolin would have taken advantage of the lull in the older man's movements if Korra hadn't first, skipping forward and twisting around another flurry of discs, using the spinning movements training taught her to gather a stream of water around her arm, letting it coil for a second before shooting it forward, directly into Han's visor.

His head snapped back, and Bolin winced as he was taken out of the game.

Despite those doubts trying to push through, Bolin was sure they could get this one.

The nixie tube marking the final round rang, and the horn blared as the crowd went wild, their earlier hatred of the Ferret's sponsor forgotten as they cheered the victors on. Bolin held up Hosh's hand, glancing at his pain-stricken features for a moment before looking at Korra instead, glad that she was still with the team.

* * *

土


	4. The Win, The Wind, and The Adjusting

土

* * *

_Pro-bending Arena._

"Bolin, that was fantastic!" He stared at her incredulously for a moment, his brain slowly working out what she was saying to him while trying to tune out the noise of the shouts and cheers in the stands above them.

Incredibly, and in his opinion mostly because of her they had won. His mind still reeled from the absolute thrashing they were being dealt during the second round, when Han and his team were out for blood, and from there it nearly went down the toilet. But through the skin of their teeth and Korra's skill they _won_.

He had the breath taken out of him as she wrapped him in a giant hug, squeezing his ribs to near breaking point as she laughed. She didn't notice his bluing features or slightly boggled expression until a few seconds later, when her cheeks tinged in worried embarrassment, possibly remembering that she had a very strong grip. "Whoops! Sorry."

"No problem." He wheezed out, welcoming the freedom and the renewed air supply, rubbing his chest as he looked at her. "But uh... I can't take all of the credit, you were seriously great out there!" Bolin was smiling on the outside, but something still niggled at him within.

"I know I haven't seen many of these matches, but that was seriously impressive." He mockingly arched a eyebrow at the airbender's rare praise, crossing his arms and tilting his head, immediately making some of the snark come back. "You know, for a sport that's easy to _play_."

"Stop teasing him. You did a great job Bolin." He smiled earnestly at her praise, taking a deep breath to try and get rid of that niggling feeling.

He straightened and stood up from the bench, doing a very well rehearsed bow towards Asami. "Milady, you honor me." he grinned as she rolled her eyes, before a frown appeared as she watched Hosh sitting alone on the opposite side of the bench, throwing dark looks at his captain. She grimaced as she glanced at Bolin, who had noticed the looks. "Maybe you should talk to him."

Bolin sat still for a moment, completely at a loss at what to say to the new player, not even sure what the problem was. He nodded, straightening to his full height and sauntering over to the opposite of the bench, clamping a hand down on Hosh's shoulder. "You realize we won right?" he teased, getting another dark look in response.

"Sure. But I didn't." Hosh's overly bitter tone didn't escape Bolin, who was genuinely perplexed at what he said.

"Huh?" He eloquently replied, trying not to let Hosh's dour behavior dampen the good thing that happened tonight.

"I was knocked out cold in the _first round_. You said I was the best of the best!" Bolin's eyes nearly widened as he realized what was wrong. A irrational part of him surfaced, arguing that he really was the best of the best that were there. "Hhmph, guess you were wrong going by your silence."

"Hey, wait a second! You _are_ the-" Bolin clamped down on the urge to shout at him, instead trying to take a deep breath and focus. Something Mako would do. "Look Hosh, you are the best of the guys who turned up, with enough time with us you'll be-"

The seat noticeably wobbled as Hosh stood up, taking off his helmet and dropping it in Bolin's lap. "Being with the Ferrets was my dream! Hasook was right, this team is stupid!" Bolin didn't say anything as the larger boy disappeared from the room, his footsteps echoing down the halls outside.

"Messed that up." Bolin muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, mostly aimed at himself. He sighed as the door closed, leaving only the shouts and cheers of the crowd outside to occupy the room. He really didn't think he was fantastic at all.

Korra's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds as she looked at everyone, particularly Bolin's downcast expression. "He can't just-" She ground her teeth and narrowed her eyes, standing up and preparing to storm out of the room and knock some sense into the firebending kid until a hand touched hers. She looked down, seeing the top of Bolin's head as he continued to stare at the floor despondently.

"Let him go, we can't make him stay." She looked at him for a few seconds, not used to seeing him this... somber. But he had to stay! Without a third team member, they couldn't compete, they'd be out of the whole thing, Bolin would be back on the street- "Korra. The next match won't be for another month. We'll find someone before then." He looked up at her with a tight smile, not at all convincing her.

Slowly, she nodded. She couldn't force the guy to stay and even if she did, it was against what Tenzin had been teaching her, it was against what being a avatar meant. "Okay." she murmured, dropping back onto the bench with a sigh.

"I know a few people, maybe I can ask them." Asami offered, to the reply of silence from Bolin and Korra as they sat on the bench, both of their heads hung low. She grimaced, finding herself staring at the wall for a few moments, filled with concern of what would happen to Bolin in particular. His brother had his job with the police, but Bolin only had pro-bending and without the sport...

"Can't believe I forgot." Bolin muttered, causing Asami and Korra to look up, they both followed his gaze until it settled on Tai as he leaned against the wall, his mouth set in a grimace as he stared at the ceiling. It didn't take long for him to notice where everyone was looking.

"Is everything okay? I can understand why you two are looking, but Bolin why-" He cut himself off, comprehension slowly dawning in his mind.

"I can't believe I forgot. You can firebend!" Bolin perked up immediately, already back to how he usually was. He shared Korra's grin as he stood up, moving closer towards Tai, probably trying to make sure he couldn't worm his way out from the wall.

Tai scratched the back of his head, currently running through every possible thing he could do to get out of there, although when he saw expectant looks coming from Korra and Asami, those went away with the desire to not disappoint them. He felt he had already done enough of that. "I- I don't know." He looked up, seeing the pouting coming from the water tribe girl in particular. "Come on, don't do that! I've got training, I've got someone to fi-" He stopped himself when he saw Korra's eyebrow arch. "-I've got my own stuff to do."

"Think of it like this! You'll be able to spend some time away from the island, and it'll give you a break from all that airbending!" Asami offered, looking at him with a pleading expression. "C'mon?" In response Tai loosed a sigh. Asami grimaced and nodded, changing her tact. "Look, Futuretech is in a rough spot. I'm doing the best I can - But I need the Fire Ferrets kicking ass so the people remember Futuretech as a honest company, not something my father made into something dark and twisted."

Korra looked at her with concerned eyes, while Tai uncrossed his arms and arched his eyebrow. Bolin was the only one to speak. "Asami-"

Tai interrupted with a mutter under his breath and a small nod.

Her smile grew as he glanced at her for a few seconds, then at Korra, and finally back to Bolin, sighing in defeat. "Okay." He held up a finger before their grins could get any bigger. "But its _only temporary_. Got it?" Bolin nodded vigorously at his terms, while Asami stroked her chin thoughtfully at first, before nodding as well. It was then that Tai realized something. He couldn't firebend all that well. His cheeks reddened as everyone looked at him. "Uh, I'll need to brush up on my firebending first."

Bolin leaned forward on the bench, still wearing that grin. "Mako can teach you!"

"You think he will?" Tai wondered, getting a idea that there was one other person he could ask. If he could _find him_.

"I think I can manage that." A voice said from behind, everyone turned around to see Mako walking into the room, making a beeline for Korra's side and wrapping his hand around hers. "Gives me a rare opportunity for my dream to come true."

Tai rubbed a hand down his face as Bolin immediately scratched the top of his head, a eyebrow arched in question. "What dream, bro?"

He nearly winced at the sight of the wicked gleam in Mako's eyes, glumly realizing that she didn't seem to notice the evil that had surfaced in her boyfriend's eye. Dark thoughts about that topic surfaced but he quickly squashed them, not wanting to focus on that topic. Unfortunately that made him wonder if she had any clue about- again he did some squashing.

"Bolin, I have a dream. A dream that has been with me since last year. That dream, is to throw some fireballs at Tai." The wicked gleam found its way into his smile, and immediately Tai bristled.

Folding his arms, he narrowed his eyes."Good, I can return the favor."

If he was hoping Mako's face was going to fall, then he was sorely wrong. "With those _arms?_"

"Oh, you haven't seen what these babies of mine can _do_." He took a step forward, the idea of starting 'training' now sounding very appealing to him. However that was halted when Korra took a few steps forward, hands on her hips as she looked at the two of them.

"_Ladies,_ we can sort this out later." She surprised Tai with a point of the finger. "You. Don't hurt him too badly." As she whipped around she noticed Mako's pout, and she took steps to make it better by moving forward and leveling a kiss on his cheek. "And you. Play nice?" A grin settled on her as he nodded, still throwing threatening looks at the dual-bending boy.

"Fine." He squeezed her hand as he leant forward to whisper in her ear. "I'll _play nice_." She giggled as his warm breath tickled her ear, pushing him away a little and nodding. Not for the first time he wondered how he managed to land her.

A mechanical click sounded in the room, and everyone looked around for the source before he held up his arm, wriggling the sleeve down to show a little dark metal watch ticking away. He sighed as reality made itself clear. "I should probably be getting ho- _back_ now, gotta a whole day of work ahead." Mako wondered why he slipped up like that, before dismissing it as he jerked a thumb at the door, beginning to move towards it.

He stopped and hugged Korra, feeling the familiar urge to not let her go before giving her a little space and looking at Tai. "Uh, I'll give Tenzin a call when I'm available, we'll meet at the gym."

The other boy nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."

"Good. See you guys around." Tai and Asami both nodded immediately, while he noticed Bolin hesitated a little before doing the same. As he moved past Korra, he quietly grabbed her hand and led her outside into the empty hallway.

Immediately a familiar urge surfaced and it made him lean forward, holding each hand with his as he locked lips with her, reveling in the feeling of being this close to her and not seeing any bruises or cuts marring her beautiful skin. He felt a slight tingle on his mouth as he pulled away slightly, before tipping his head against hers. "I don't know if I can make this sound any more romantic. But _please make sure the Fire Ferrets win_."

She blinked twice as he began to shake, growling a little as she heard little laughs escaping from him. She punched him in the shoulder and rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine."

"I know. I just wanted to be sure. That's all." He reluctantly pulled his hand away from her hip, letting the slid-up fabric of her shirt fall back down. He smiled inanely as she arched an eyebrow. "Guess I was getting a little ahead of myself there."

Suprisingly she looked away and nodded, and it was then that Mako something was eating away at her. "Yeah, I don't think I'm ready for that stuff yet." He didn't say anything, settling for a nod.

He leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. "I can wait." he muttered, before stepping away and looking down the hall for a few moments, sighing at the prospect of that long walk back to the apartment. He scratched a spot on his neck as he turned to her, remembering that he would be swamped for the next couple of weeks. "I'm afraid you won't see much of me, Chief's really trying to-"

Korra shut him up by cupping his chin. "I can wait." She didn't voice anything about the doubts constantly trying to surface in her, settling for a warm smile as he pulled away, waving back to her as his footsteps echoed down the hall and finally the only thing she had of him as he disappeared around the corner.

* * *

_Dock District, 'Kuruk-Town'._

He stared up at the night sky, alternating between a quiet whistle and a very loud and piercing hum that helped while away the boredom of being a guard. Of course, he would never say that to those creeps that made up the top of the chain, unless he wanted to see his mug on a missing persons poster laying at the bottom of a pile of slush in some backwater alley.

But he couldn't help it, many of his buddies had already left him behind going into the life, and he was damned if he was going to be the only one of the Water Street Seven leading some boring and numbingly dull life as a random _scrub_. Becoming a Red Monsoon means things are expected of you after all. And that's what he felt he deserved. Expectation.

"New Guy, watch the damn road!" He whipped around, getting a blast of water in his face and hair, making him despair at the now limp noodles of what used to be perfectly kept pitch black hair. His eye twitched for a few moments, well placed superiority to the old fart rising as he pointed a finger at him.

"Shut up old _man_, I'm watchin' it!" The old man in question barked in laughter for a few seconds, before abruptly silencing himself and turning back towards the railing, leaning on it as he muttered dark things to himself.

When he was in charge, _things like them_ wouldn't be kept around, not even as trophies. As he leveled his gaze at the tops of the buildings standing across the road from the chain link fence nearby he could have sworn a whole patch of stars blinked on and off for a second, like someone fiddling with a light switch. He brushed away the concern, pinning the disturbance on a stupid rat-gull. Man he hated them, all the damn time back on the street they would piss him off... well, until he found out about bending, than life got even sweeter.

He sighed in frustration as he gripped the railing, feeling that once again his talents were being wasted by the creeps up top against punks and rat-gulls. He was greater than this! He gladly remembered the time he tore open that water tanker, took the cops an entire day just to clean up the mess! He sighed happily as he scratched at some chipped paint on the railing, yep, he had a great time with the gang, and once he got where he was needed, things couldn't get any sweeter!

Another bunch of stars winked out, permanently this time. He stopped his inner musing, arching an eyebrow as he stared up at dark patch of space just above the adjacent building's roof corner. He growled at the prospect of wasting his time with yet another punk, cupping his hand like he did with the tanker, he pointed his arm the joker standing on the roof, commanding the puddle of dirty muck below to rush up and swamp him.

Nothing happened, with the old man's laughter in his ears he stared daggers at the puddle below as he was pushed aside, the old man now completely serious as he stared at the dark space standing above, he cupped his hand and brought it to his mouth, familiar and dark thoughts about modern day kids running through him, usually about how they wrecked everything. "You wanna get out of here kid! One table scrap isn't worth the beating!" He noticed a flash of silver appear near the dark patch, and he sighed at the prospect of yet another knife using thug trying to stab him. He had enough of that long ago.

"I'll only say it one more ti-" Everything went red, and then everything went _red_.

The young Red Monsoon's eyes boggled as he watched the old man fall backwards, his hands scrabbling to push himself away from the gushing coming from the already dead body with some of it splashing onto his hands, leaving a sticky and sickening warm sensation as he felt bile crawl up his throat. He couldn't stop staring at the cold grey eyes just showing from the depths of the hood, and for a second, he truly believed that spirits exist.

A lance of pain went through his body, and he heaved a shuddering breath. He stopped moving, feeling the energy drain from his muscles, leaving them as empty sacks as he stared up at the sky, wondering if he went wrong somewhere. Thoughts about his impending death were washed away by a calm and smooth tone of sound ringing through his rapidly dimming thoughts, helping dull the pain somewhat as he laid there, closing his eyes in preparation for sleep.

The hooded figure straightened, his curved blade making a smooth ringing noise as he slid out of the young fool's neck, taking a moment to look for any imperfections on the surface of the metal before reaching a gloved hand down into his coat, bringing out a simply made washcloth. He stepped over the corpse, running the cloth along the bloodied edge of the blade with careful precision as he moved towards a wooden door, made of something that would serve as no obstacle to him.

The hooded figure stepped over a carpet of splinters moments later, his footfalls silent on the metal floor as he neared the sounds of laughter coming from the next room.

* * *

_Quzon Apartment Complex, Red Dragon District._

Mako sighed as he rounded the corner, a part of him missing the usual hustle and bustle normally associated with coming back home with his brother. Those days were over now though. The stillness of the night in the Red Dragon District had unsettled him immensely at first, finding it almost impossible to sleep for more than few hours, expecting at least some kind of noise or disturbance to happen. But it never did, and sometimes he kind of wished it would.

He looked up at the large building stretching alongside the entirety of the footpath, still wondering how someone managed to keep the crimson decor from fading into a barely there eyesore. He highly doubted that the coats of paint were re-applied every single night, someone would have known. He walked forwards, following the line of paper lanterns throwing off their red lights, which served to highlight the front gardens on either the main stairs in a stunning display of workmanship.

All in all he had a good guess as to why it was one of the most expensive places to live in the city. And it definitely wasn't to do with room quality. He took the steps two at a time, definitely certain he left a trail of shoe shaped dirt piles on the way up. He really wasn't in the mood for another argument with the weird exterior cleaner, so he quickly rushed through the heavy double doors, using his shoulder to get past them quickly as a perpetually angry face with bushy eyebrows poked around the far corner of the building, eyes searching for the movement that was once there.

The doors swung to a stop as he nodded at the man standing nearby, his hand expectantly held out in anticipation of taking his coat. As usual Mako disappointed him by walking forwards and towards the reception desk, where a fresh-faced young woman with pleasant blue eyes beamed at him from her place behind the desk, placing the comic she was reading cover-up on a old table nearby and standing up to greet him like she always did.

"Your key, _sir?_" He shook his head in amusement at the way she said that, knowing full well how many times he asked her not to.

He grinned as he tried a different tactic this time, one that would be completely different from the verbal flailing about she tended to bring out of him. Which was odd considering he usually had his thoughts collected most of the time. He leaned forward over the reception desk, propping up a hand under his chin as he nodded slowly, flipping over his hand resting on the surface and presenting his waiting palm. "If you would, _ma'am_."

She held her hands from her as she stood there, putting a very much relieved expression on. "Yue, I have been waiting so long for the recognition I totally _deserve_." The girl grinned as she skipped over to the key hooks, fishing out a dusty looking one in the top right corner, marked #10. Her teeth gleamed as she balanced the keyring on the tip of her index finger, holding it just out of his reach as she giggled at the long face he wore. "Nicely."

Mako ran a hand down his face, wondering how he got stuck kept running into all the eccentric girls all the time. But it was all in good spirits as he smirked, straightening with a solemn expression on his features. He drove his fist into his waiting palm, bowing like his mom taught. "Madam Hana, may you present my room key, so that I may gladly flop down onto my bed?"

The solemnity was replaced with a grin as Hana giggled, beaten at her own game by his wit and charm. "Sure-" she started, before clearing her throat and adopting a more madamly posture. "I mean- here is your key, good sir." She handed it over, a bit aware that she was already in danger of staring into his beautiful eyes again.

He closed his fist around the little piece of metal as he smiled, bowing to her as he moved away from the desk and towards the nearby elevator, spirits already lifted from the usual realization that he was on his own now.

The elevator ride didn't take long at all, and as the doors slid open to the sound of squeaks and grinds, he stepped through, idly spinning the key around his fingertip as he stopped for a moment, having forgotten his room among the identical doors set in the wall ahead and to his sides. He stared down at the number engraved in the metal, and made sure it stayed in his thoughts. To be honest he never knew why he forgot this specific little thing, it just happened.

Luckily the walk to his room only took him past six doors or so, all of which came with the muffled sounds of laughter, some, of the stuff only Bolin's dreams could match, and others still with angry arguing. He fumbled with the lock for a few moments, before it admitted defeat and gave up entry to the dark room.

As he stepped through the door, he expected to hear shrill squeaks interspersed with his brother's laughter, usually accompanying him trying to bathe, or at times drown judging by the rapid-fire squeaks, Pabu and get him all prettied up for reasons unknown to himself. At this point he would inevitably be asked whats for dinner, and the older boy would always loose a vague grunt in answer, before dropping the bag of groceries on the kitchen bench in the room above.

But there was no ladder, there was no Pabu, and there was no Bolin. Agni, he thought he was ready for this.

He shook those thoughts away with a grumble, moving his palm towards the wall to his left and expecting to brush his finger against the light switch to light up the whole room. Instead it just hit nothing but the wall and he immediately retracted his hand, remembering that it was on the other side. A sigh escaped him as he flicked it up, glad that at least he could now see properly.

The floorboards creaked with each step he took nearing the center of the room and he nearly stumbled on the lowered central portion of the floor, which he was told was a design feature for those who wanted to practice meditation in the safety of their own home. He just thought it was put in to mess with him a little. He moved towards the little kitchen annex taking up a third of the room, moving past a very rickety looking futon and footstool along the way, he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his palm as he took a look in his fridge, accidentally scraping a bit of the red enamel paint from the top of its door in the process. That didn't matter as much as the collection of packaged meats and vegetables sitting on the shelves within, putting to rest his concerns about going hungry in the next month.

Of course he didn't have another mouth to feed, so he didn't exactly need to spend much on food or snacks. Again he grunted with annoyance at the pang of worry that inevitably sprung up, and coming along with it a feeling that he should call to check on Bolin.

Angrily he slammed the fridge shut, having to remind himself that his brother could take care of himself now. He wasn't needed anymore, and he wasn't that far away in any case.

Still, that did very little to get rid of those concerns.

He fought his way out of the heavy material making up his brown longcoat, making sure to snag the handful of yuans spilling out of one of the lower pockets before letting it fall over the couch as he moved towards the wall separating the bedroom from the main room, stepping through into the dark and quiet space. He rubbed at spot on his neck as he stood next to the single bed, feeling all of the aches and pains from a days patrol creeping up, along with the desire to just lie there under the light brown sheets and sleep for a couple of days.

But that wouldn't do, seeing as he had to be down at the station at the crack of dawn. Again. His hatred of paperwork resurfaced as he took off his shirt, feeling the cool air in the room tickle his bare arms with a slight chill, giving him a bigger urge to get under the covers. He did so, holding them up as he climbed in, letting them fall back down over his lower body and making sure they were rolled back so as not to overheat him during the night.

It only took a record time of three hours lying there and staring up at the ceiling until his body finally gave in to exhaustion.

_Red Monsoon Warehouse, Kuruk-Town._

"All in." The punk's cocky smirk grated on him again, and for a few seconds any strategy or tricks to do with cards went away, leaving a image of the punk meeting a unfortunate accident in its place.

He heard a slight crinkle, and with a barely contained grunt he unclenched his fists, letting the cards nearly lost in his huge palm straighten themselves. "Didn't think you had deep pockets anymore, pasty." He ignored the worried looks coming from Shek seated on his left, or the ones screaming of annoyance and weariness from Kola, instead focusing on the infuriating smirk still plastered on the smug punk.

The smug punk widened his smirk, showing more of his perfect white teeth as he nodded once. "I have my ways, big guy." He drawled, reaching a hand into his pocket for a moment, briefly touching against the newly sewn patch before closing around a smooth egg-shaped object and a box. He flicked open the lid on the box, drawing out a cigarette with two fingers and keeping it clenched between his lips as he flipped the upper half of his lighter open, revealing a small soot encrusted jet. He ran his finger down the igniter, smoothly making a spark in between it and the open top of the jet, mixing in with the gas being released and creating a small finger of flame.

He smirked as he lit the end of the cigarette, letting the intoxicating smoke seep down his throat and into his lungs before opening his mouth a fraction, getting euphoric feeling as he released a large puff of smoke, watching it rise towards the sputtering light above with amusement as the others seated at the table either coughed or growled from annoyance.

"Choke on those fumes, Tahno, and weep on this." Touches of a earnest grin appeared as he looked at the five cards the big guy had just put down, finding a little humor in the fact that he had finally gotten a hand that may actually win the game this time. Tahno shrugged and put his hand down as well, not before noticing a strange glint surface in the eyes of the fresh-faced recruit for a moment before disappearing just as fast.

"I think its the same for you, I'm afraid." He dryly remarked, feeling a little satisfied as the big guy across from him began to outright snarl as he flipped his cards face-up.

As he leaned back in the shoddy wooden chair he noticed the fresh-faced recruit stand up and move around him and towards the dingy kitchen bench in the corner of the room. Tahno thought about getting him to grab a beer when the table shook violently, throwing up most of the cards and all of the cheap blue blocks into the air, one of them striking him in the cheek as he arched an eyebrow at the big guy's livid features. "Something the matter?" He could not resist asking.

A roar answered him as the big guy threw his massive frame over the table, meathooks clutching at nothing but air as Tahno stepped off from the floor, sliding his chair back a few meters and well out of reach.

The weathered man grunted in annoyance as he stood up, a order rising in his throat before his eyes boggled and went wide. Tahno's did as well when the man pitched forward and slammed onto the table, the hilt of a knife showing itself briefly before being hidden by the now lifeless corpse falling onto the floor belly-up.

He narrowed his eyes at the fresh-faced young recruit, looking at the blood on his hands and chest first before seeing that his normally bright blue eyes were clouded over, and dulled into a almost flat grey. A thought about how strange that was ran through him as he danced away from the big guy and the ruined table, immediately making for the window he made sure was open as the movement of the doorknob turning caught his eye.

With a drawn-out squeak belonging to incredibly ancient wood and rusty hinges the door slowly swung open, and the first thing that drew Tahno's often inward directed attention was the impenetrably dark depths of the man's hood. The only thing that stood out with any detail was a pair of grey eyes, which looked as if life or feeling had left them long ago.

A primal feeling, a feeling that he hadn't felt since his life was turned upside down by Amon arose. The feeling told him to run. And run he did.

As the hooded specter moved into the room he guided the door back into its frame and turned the latch. Tahno froze and his eyes went wide in anticipation for the loss of feeling and self, images of a grim white mask stopping him from doing anything as he heard a bloodcurdling scream behind him. Automatically his hands reached for the windowsill just in front and he pitched forward into the darkness and safety of the alleys below.

The hooded man shook the blade free of the large man's throat, having to jerk a little to get it past all of the thick and bloated muscle dedicated to supporting the brick-like structure of his head. He stepped over the twisted corpse of the older gang member, shaking the glass and wood shards off of his boot for a moment before looking at the closed door set into the wall ahead.

Inclining his head slightly he moved towards it, the thick welded iron the door was made of not being a issue to him as he moved past the completely still young man, who stared straight at him without any movement at all, the blue in his eyes having surfaced a little.

Without warning he flicked out his wrist, opening up the belly of the young man just as the grey completely disappeared, and the young man blinked twice as his mouth opened and closed wordlessly. He pitched backwards, thudding onto the old floorboards as life drained away from him.

The hooded man opened his palm and concentrated a brief instant, focusing a thick skin of spinning air around a perfectly round nucleus of stilled air, the space in between pressurized. He sliced downwards, the blade carving through the metal like butter as it rended a diagonal tear down the door. Taking a step forward he shoved the ball of air into the metal, shaking apart the entire door and sending bits of shrapnel flying everywhere.

He stepped back and nodded once, flicking a piece of metal from his shoulder before moving into the dark little room, eyes fixed on the metal case sitting on the rickety table in the center of the room. He sheathed his blade and leaned slightly, opening the clasps with ease and flipping up the lid.

A few seconds later he narrowed his eyes at a nearby window, shattered completely with none of the shards inside the room and the frame twisted and bent, most likely under some thief making their get-away.

Not for long.

* * *

_Sato Manor._

A crack of light filtered through a tiny gap in the crimson curtains, the rest of the light throwing its brilliance at the silky plush material and imbuing it with a soft red glow that infused the rest of the room with a soft and warm vibrance. It even managed to reach the foot of the extravagantly large bed miles away at the opposite end of the room, being absorbed by the dark red sheets that spilled over the edges of the circular bed.

The flowing sheets seemed almost like a film of still water had covered the mattress, the thin but breathable material doing a very good job at providing both a modicum of warmth and coolness at the same time. The image of a still body of water was shattered by the sheets bunching up underneath the body of a girl, clad in a very ill-fitting nightie that did little to serve the imagination and barely reached down below her waist line, cutting short of her long and slender legs.

She was a beauty, and this beauty was snoring loudly with her mouth wide open, a line of drool exquisitely tracing a stylish line from the corner of her mouth to the sheets below.

Except it wasn't exquisite or stylish to the brown skinned woman leaning against the wall next to the door, it was actually rather hilarious to her. The older woman rolled her eyes as she edged forwards, leaning over the bed to and gripping the girl's bare shoulders with a almost motherly gentleness. "Time to wake up, princess." She gently cooed, the utterly devious machinations of her inner thoughts starkly contrasting those kind words.

The girl stirred a little, her shoulder rolling a little under the older woman's touch before stilling as the snoring only got louder. This did nothing to deter her, instead she stepped back from the side of the bed, frowning and scratching the back of her neck for a moment as she scanned the room.

Her eyes soon fell on a open doorway leading into a tiled room, half concealed behind a folding screen, currently only stretched to half of its full length. A wicked idea came to the front of her thoughts and she took a few steps towards the folding screen, slowly lifting up a arm and keeping it oriented towards the open doorway as she made sure the floorboards underneath the thick carpet didn't make a sound.

Once she felt that familiar hum telling her of the source of water nearby, she relaxed her arm and let it drop to her side, but keeping her forearm pointed towards the open bathroom. The hum deepened slightly and she flicked her index finger, guiding a small ribbon of clear water out of the bathroom and coaxing it towards her finger.

It hovered above her fingertip, slowly bobbing up and down in a twisting fashion until she extended her ring finger as well. She pointed it out at an angle from her index, making a V shape as she directed her attention to the ribbon of water. Instantly the twisting liquid stopped all movement and shifted its mass across a area the size of her palm, flattening out like a pancake in the process.

Satisfied she moved the now flat disc towards the bed, floating without a sound over the top of the sheets and settling into position over the girl's half-exposed forehead.

Kya sighed as she toyed with the absurd notion of waking her up normally, but that just wasn't her style. The little disc of water quivered with anticipation as she released her control, letting gravity take over for her as the disc immediately lost shape and streamed onto the girl's forehead, the shock of cold water making her eyes snap open and a yelp rise from her, before she noticed who was standing nearby trying to keep up a smile straining to keep the laughs in.

"Kya?" She narrowed her eyes as the older woman increasingly failed to contain her laughter, sitting up straight and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning, Asami." Kya had to say in between giggles escaping from her, moving towards the bed and sitting on the edge as Asami stretched and yawned, still throwing dark looks at her as she swung her legs over the edge, relishing in the coolness being lavished on her bare feet.

She nodded blearily as she grabbed the edge of the quilt and dabbed at her face, not really caring that she was using a handmade and custom designed bedspread all the way from Ba Sing Se to dry the water from her skin. "What time is it?" she inwardly grimaced at how hoarse she sounded, preparing to make the long journey across the room towards the massive wardrobe that dominated this room's side of the bathroom wall.

"Time to go." Kya answered cheerily as she disappeared into the cavernous depths, momentarily blinded by the assorted forest of red, pink, crimson and orange clothes, looking for a particular red tunic and matching pants.

Her experienced eyes found them, and she kept fixed on them as she slipped the strap's of her nightie from her shoulders, momentarily reveling in the nice and cool air against her skin before putting her arms through the sleeves of the tunic and stuffing it over her head, making sure her hair was fully contained before putting it on. She wasn't sure what Kya was talking about until it hit her. The _damn press conference started in twenty minutes_.

Quickly she slipped on her pants, grabbed a dark colored jacket from a hanger nearby and pushed the wardrobe doors open to step through with a pair of socks in hand, before she gracefully stumbled over the exact pair of boots she wanted.

She grabbed them and stepped back out into her bedroom, hopping on one foot as she pulled her socks and then boots on while making the journey to the other end of the room, where Kya waited by the door. "I hope I'm not late." she muttered to herself as she pushed the doors open and waited for Kya to follow.

_City Hall._

Even now she wasn't sure that she was ready for this. Hearing the clamoring of the crowd of wolves just on the other side of the wall had put her already nervous thoughts into more doubt, clamming up her attempts at memorizing the words on the little white cards resting in the palm of her hand.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to get rid of the giant knot in her stomach by staring up at the ceiling as well and thinking about nothing but calm thoughts. This ended up taking her far back as memories of loss started fresh, and she found it increasing difficult to avoid running out of there and clearing her head.

There would be time for that later. She took another deep breath to steel herself, mentally going over the speech when she realized she had forgotten a few sentences, sending her thoughts spiraling into panic until a hand fell on her shoulder, and two bright blue eyes looked at her along with a gentle smile. "Don't freak out. Just say what comes naturally."

Asami blinked twice, trying not to show the nervousness in her eyes as she swallowed and nodded frantically, giving a weak smile to show that she was _not_ freaking out. Kya narrowed her eyes at the increase in noise on the other side of the wall, and quickly steadied Asami by giving her a confident nod.

The girl swallowed again as she clenched her fists, scrunching up the slips and letting them fall to the floor before striding confidently around the corner and towards the podium, wading through a sea of camera flashes and shouting voices to do so. Her first reaction to the massive crowd completely filling the hall's floor was to squeak, but the Sato business sense took over and she gave the audience a warm but confident smile. "Thank you all for coming this morning."

At that one sentence the shouting seemed to have intensified, and she focused greatly on counting the individual ridges on her glove's knuckles while waiting for the clamor to die down again. "I'm afraid time will be short, so I can only take three questions."

Everyone's collective hands went up with their shouting voices, and Asami mentally panicked as to which one to choose. At random she pointed at a raven haired young woman with amber eyes, which reminded her of a friend currently far away from here. "Yes you, miss...?"

"Seris. Ms Sato, how exactly do you intend on turning around the rapid decline of your father's company?" The confident and slightly haughty tone of the fire nation born woman intimidated her a little, coupled withe cat-like smile she gave at the same time.

"As many of our shareholders have pulled away from the company, I won't lie and say Future Industries isn't in a tight spot. But a deal with a major shipping corporation based in the south pole has been made, and will be finalized in the upcoming weeks." Her tones were clear and professional, a stark contrast to the whirlwind of confusion that occupied her mind concerning plans and ways to save her company.

Her beating chest seemed to have slowed to a slightly normal speed when Seris nodded, still wearing that cat-like smile as she sat back down, disappearing back into the sea of reporters as the clamor rose up again, and she found random questions were now being voiced from unknown sources.

"Ms Sato! Ms Sato! Are the rumours true? Is your _father's_company facing bankruptcy?"

The girls hands curled, and she fought the urge to wipe the big smile off her face and grit her teeth instead. "_My_company has just entered into a contract with Tui industries and the United Forces. So no, I believe we aren't facing bankruptcy." She desperately searched for the offending idiot among the gathered crowd, but failed miserably. She sighed quietly as another voice sprung up above the others as if to question her statement.

"But Ms Sato, are Tui Industries, or any others across the world aware of your companies pro-equalist policies?"

Her hands clenched again, tighter this time, but she held onto that big smile. "They are. My fathers-" she paused, images of that almost _feral_ man piloting that mecha tank ran through her. She quelled them and took a deep breath. "My father made the mistake of mixing business with his political views. I won't do the same. Under my guidance I will restore this companies honor in the eyes of the world. Thank you."

Asami pointed at a heavyset man wearing a green fedora with a feather stuck in the brim, keeping the smile on while her stomach started to do somersaults. "Yes, mr...?"

"Mr Yun, ms Sato. Let me begin by saying that I am disappointed your father didn't tell you who I am." The tones of arrogance and self-righteousness weren't lost on her at all, souring Asami's feelings towards the man and making her want to go find the electro-glove.

"I apologize for my father's discourteous behaviour, mr Yun. Now what is your question?" She immediately regretted choosing him as he stared at her for a few moments, making her feel completely vulnerable and question if she could really stomach doing this.

"Why, if I may, are you even attempting to bring Future Industries back to the top again? Why not accept the reasonable deals coming from the Kerisa Magnate, or Oma Manufacture?"

"Questions have run out. This conference is over. Thank you for your time." Multitudes of shouting voices rang in her ears as she turned on her heel, taking a clipboard from an aide as she made her way towards a pair of double doors. An aide opened them as she stepped through, closing them and shutting off the loud noises of curiosity to her. Her footsteps echoed alone in the long hallway, and she stopped for a moment.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she braced herself against the wall, staring up at the ceiling as she took great gulps of air in, trying to calm herself. She hated what she had done back there.

It didn't feel right at _all_. She heaved a shuddering breath as she screwed her eyes shut, gladly accepting the warm embrace Kya wrapped her in, rocking back and forth slightly as she shivered.

* * *

_Kuruk-Town's Sewers._

With a relieved gasp she finally stopped running, bracing herself against the tunnel wall as she sucked in as much air as she could despite the slightly fetid smell. That was way too close for comfort.

She had seen his handiwork before, dozens of times across many of the Equalist outposts in the city's underground. Each time no-one to discover it or even know it happened except her and her partner.

Yem swiped at a few beads of sweat running down her forehead, staring up at the dark roof for a few moments to just catch her breath. One of the Monsoon's up there, some kid barely pushing nineteen, his glazed eyes kept staring up at her, his face frozen in a look of both terror and simple surprise. The bodies near him had similar looks on them.

She closed her eyes to try and get rid of him, but he wouldn't go away. Just the latest in a long line she had seen way too much of in the past six months. But at least this time she had what she was looking for. She finally had something to show for it at least.

The grey-eyed girl swallowed and looked down at the simple white cloth encasing the long thin object in her hands. She had no idea why he had been looking for it, but she knew him getting his hands on it was out of the question.

But that all depended on her getting as far away from him as possible, maybe she could go the Avatar for help?

Yem shook her head as she straightened, focusing on one thing first. Moving out of the tunnel.

The water on the floor of the tunnel reached up to her ankles, sending splashing echoes all over the tunnel every time her thick boots came down. The constant noise put her on a edge, stopping her from being able to hear any clear movement in the tunnel that wasn't her own and leaving her exposed in case someone decided to come her way.

She desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that, remembering the stories the Lieutenant told her about that painted the man as a _Yaoguai_ in human form. Amon never said anything about the man, and only a few of the more senior equalists seemed to know that he existed.

Not even her handler with the Lotus said much about him, even though she had once been his-

Yem whipped her hand behind back, sliding the tanto out and bringing it in a forward slash from up high in one smooth movement-

A pair of grey-eyes, a scar marring the face they sat on loomed out of the darkness, framed by a dark hood. A jar went up her arm as he grabbed her wrist, holding the tanto still just as it would have bit into his shoulder. "It's me, Yem."

"S-sorry." Yem quickly retracted the tanto, slipping her hand behind her back and sliding the blade into the sheath resting on her hips. Relief filled her at the sight of him as she smiled and shook the long and thin object in her other hand. "Got it out of there."

"Lucky we got to it before he did. It figures that the Monsoons were the ones who took it out of our hands."

Yem looked around nervously. "Yeah. We can talk about it later, let's get out here-" she began to move when his hand closed around hers, the leather in their gloves squeaking as he kissed her.

She didn't move, letting herself stay rooted to the spot until he pulled away with a apologetic smile. "Couldn't help myself. Let's go before he shows up."

* * *

土


	5. The Morning, a Good Day, a Bloody Night

土

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

He and her shared something in common. The morning _was evil_.

It took a tremendous amount of willpower and energy just to sit up in his bed among the messy sheets, and even then he was in danger of re-accepting the sweet embrace of sleep every second. He couldn't feel his right foot, his hair was a utter disaster, and he couldn't remember what he was supposed to be doing today.

Also the gigantic mass of grey fur with a big tongue lolling out of his mouth was not conductive to a smooth morning routine, mainly because his feet were trapped underneath it.

So he had his first task of the day lying out for him to deal with. He exerted a almost herculean effort in moving his arms slightly forwards and snaking his fingers under the sides of his companion, almost tiring him out to the point of going back to sleep.

Although that called to him so sweetly he knew he had to wake up, as a niggling thought in the back of his head told him that Korra wanted him somewhere today. He continued searching for what that entailed as he managed to sit up in the bed again, hands still wedged under Kaze's large frame which helped stop him from toppling backwards once more.

The thought of physical exertion so early in the morning may have actually started a slight twitch in his eye, so instead he was still for a few seconds deciding on how to untrap himself from Kaze.

Inspiration came to him along with steadily increasing mental faculties, and a evil gleam surfaced as he smiled at the grey mass still tossing and turning slightly in his sleep. He would make it up to him by buying a jumbo sized bag of treats later. He flexed his fingers and concentrated on the space in between each one.

The long and shaggy fur on Kaze's flanks rippled and shook as air moved through them, following the curvature of the wolf's torso until finding the back of Tai's hands, then rushing into the spaces between his fingers and beginning to build up.

Tai poked his tongue out as he ran through the necessary calculations required for a precise thing like this, making sure he had the levels and the shape memorized before wiggling his index fingers up at the same time.

A yelp came from the grey mass as the little but highly pressurized masses of air between Tai's fingers rushed upwards, with nowhere to escape to but the wolf's belly area which resulted in Kaze being lifted off and flipped over onto the floor. He yelped as he whipped about for a few seconds trying to get his bearings, his tail sluggishly moving back and forth as his big brown eyes settled on his master, who had a apologetic look on him as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

He swore the big lug had somehow grown even taller in the night, being that the wolf's shoulders were now above the top of the bed's mattress. But it was fairly low lying so he could have misjudged.

The urge to yawn overtook him, and he let out a long and loud one as he stood up and stretched, dropping a hand to his side so Kaze could get some nuzzling in as he followed the boy to the plainly made wardrobe nearby, wobbling a little as he quickly shook off the morning sleep.

As Tai watched Kaze pad past him towards the water floating in the rectangular metal tray near the door he opened the wardrobe, greeted immediately with a pair of orange robes that he couldn't remember wearing at all, and his prized black longcoat and grey T shirt. Angling his head down at the pants made him feel the cold air on his shins much more acutely, and he fought the urge to shiver as he snatched them up first, immediately tugging them over the black boxers and sighing as the cold air no longer harassed his legs.

A change of shirt later he grabbed his coat, the familiar safe feeling returning as he put his arms through the sleeves, then folding the high collar before doing up the bottom buttons, being that the grey sky he could see outside the window wasn't looking all that warming.

He stared at the sheath propped up against the wall between his bed and cupboard, getting a little distracted by the gray swirls on the black leather before seeing the simple leather handle poking out of the top, the hint of a silvery metal just noticeable. He grimaced at the oddly disconcerting thought of taking the sword with him, wondering why he hadn't even looked at it since coming back from the south pole_._

Tai grunted and turned away from the sword in the sheath, shaking his head with in disappointment mainly aimed at himself as he sat on the bed and pulled on his boots. Kaze came over and rested his head on the matress, swaying a little as Tai scratched the back of his ears and the bottom of his chin, enjoying the treatment his master gave him.

He loosed sigh as he stood up and rolled his shoulders, walking towards the sliding door before stopping as he noticed a staff nearly hidden from view by the cupboard as it stood in the corner of the room. He grabbed it and slid the door open, stepping out into the hallway to the sound of feet coming down the stairs.

And another sigh came up as he came closer to the stairs, seeing that those footsteps were accompanied by a loud cheering and prop plane noises, which to him sounded like it was a mechanically faulty one at that.

The 'prop plane' stuck her tongue out at him in greeting while clutching onto her uncle's head with impressive grip, and the man himself was grinning inanely, which once again told Tai that he was of a different breed than many other people. "Morning, giggles!" he called out cheerily as he jogged over to the boy, his arms stuck out like wings as Ikki bounced up and down on her perch.

"Morning, Bumi. Morning _terror_." Tai felt a flutter of paranoia as he saw the demon inside of the little girl grin at him for a split instant, but quashed it down as she giggled again with the hope that she was preoccupied with her uncle's head.

"So what are you doing today? How are you getting home? And are you gonna tell me about your thing with Kor-" She giggled at the brief flush of red on Tai's cheeks, which Bumi spotted as well, and immediately knew what to say.

Bumi clapped his hands together and sighed. "Ahhh. _Young love... _or it could be gas." his eyes had a dreamy look on them, which Tai definitely knew was not real as he folded his arms together and fixed a look at the United Forces Commander.

"What would you know about young love, _old man_?_"_ The words came too fast out of him and he realized that giving Bumi a opening was a grave mistake. In fact, why was he talking about this anyway? That wasn't him!

"My young friend, I am the guru when it comes to the art of passion! There were two girls from the Fire Nation, one from the Earth Kingdom, a pair of radio announcer twins and their mother..." Tai immediately concentrated on the noise of static as the old man listed each and every conquest, his curiosity almost getting the better of him when two particular names stood out."

"_Beifong _and _Senna?_" he blurted out incredulously, immediately clamping his hands over his ears and mouth as Bumi nodded vigorously, restarting the count on his fingers as he brought up points about them that if Tenzin ever heard what he was saying, he would flip out.

"OkayI'mleavingnowbye." Tai fought to keep the blush from coming back as he ran past the wild man and the now curious little girl, whose innocence was most likely corrupted beyond redemption by now. Who was he kidding? That kid was never innocent to _start with_. He was shaken out of his thoughts when he skidded to a halt in front of the women dormitory entrance, seeing Korra with her hands on her hips and a suspicious light in her narrowed eyes.

"I can hear you idiots all the way from my room!" She grumbled, only managing to say the first half of her sentence intact before yawning incredibly loudly, her eyes closing for a few seconds as they welcomed the thing that came after the yawn.

Tai had to fight harder to keep the blush from coming back as he scratched the back of his neck, keeping as straight a face as possible. "Oh, hey Korra. Couldn't - uh - think of a way to wake you?"

"How about knocking on the door, genius?" She folded her arms together, the innocent action accidentally drawing Tai's eyes for a brief second to her chest, sparking the realization that her tank top was getting a bit too small.

"Tenzin says no guys allowed. I do what Tenzin says. Tenzin is correct." He concentrated on the image of his stoic and ever-calm master as much as possible, trying to reduce the flush that kept trying to creep up on his cheeks. "Also your tank top is a bit small." he intelligently pointed out rather eloquently, for some unknown reason actually extending a finger as well.

Incredibly he wasn't knocked on his butt. Actually she was _blushing_. "Um, yeah, thanks for pointing that out. Heh." She turned away from him for a few seconds to regain composure, before placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head at him. "You do remember what we're supposed to be doing?"

"Bed and breakfast?" He slumped as she shook her head a little sadly, probably thinking about the same idea of food as he was. "Yeah. I remember now. I'll grab a few things and meet you at the sparring grounds." He nodded and turned on his heel as she headed back into the women's dormitory, pressing himself to the wall as Kaze thundered out of the room, nearly skidding into the wall before running down the hall and into Bumi's legs, who nearly toppled backwards to the delight of the small child perched on his shoulders.

He found himself staring at the scabbard again, for some reason finding it difficult to pick up and use again. After a few seconds of being lost in his head Korra's voice rang down the hallway. "You ready yet?"

Tai shook his head in a attempt to shake away the strange thoughts, whipping his arm forward and closing his fingers around the middle of the scabbard's length as he straightened and went back out into the hallway, going into a jog when he saw Korra standing near the exit of the dorms with her arms folded and her fingers drumming a impatient beat.

She tilted her head at him as he stopped and gestured for her to go through first, eying him with a strange look before shrugging and stepping outside, beginning to walk at a brisk pace towards the path leading to the central grounds of the island. "So how long do you think it will take this time?"

He looked up at the question, mentally groaning at the memory of him constantly being pounded into the dirt by her during the many training sessions over the past months, although he thought it was because she just didn't let up on the attack, constantly forcing him to change direction until she had him cornered.

But still, this time would be different. This time it was Airbending only, and this time he knew he had the advantage over her. Of course that didn't mean he would go overboard, and he would make sure he kept the sword sheathed. "I reckon fifteen minutes or so, Avatar."

As he stepped onto the paved ground of the wide and open central courtyard he noticed a strange look surfacing on Korra, but vanishing just as fast as she replaced it with her trademarked smirk while stroking her chin. "Really, is that so? Well I think that's a little too generous, might want to roll it back at _least ten minutes or so_."

Her haughty tone made him lift his head and grin evilly at her as he neared the ramp going up to the sparring circle. "Airbending doesn't run on _hot air_. I suggest you breathe out a few times before your head gets any bigger."

"Ha. I'm just guessing. That's all." He ground his teeth quietly as she looked at him with innocence in her eyes, totally and completely succeeding at not convincing him that was the case. His point was proved a second later when she grinned evilly with the whites of her teeth showing, as she jogged past him and over the top of the ramp just ahead.

As he looked down at the concentric steps of stone that surrounded the Yin and Yang symbol in the center of the area, one thought came to him as he swung the scabbard around and into his waiting palm, tapping out a quiet beat that helped to sequence his thoughts, which all ran towards one idea.

This was gonna suck.

"Ready, Swordy?" She rocked back on the balls of her feet a bit, feeling the fingers of gravity drag on her for a split second before leaning forwards again, straightening to her full height as she held her hands loosely by her sides, at the ready once Tai made a move she knew would never come.

Simply because she always moved first.

A lazy smile came to her as she tilted her head, gauging what was going through the head of the boy standing stock still across from her, his feet spaced a little apart over the white mark in the black rock.

Although he didn't look it, she knew with firsthand experience how quick he could move and how hard he could hit. A flash of her looking down at him came up for a moment, dirt and sweat encrusted on both of their faces. She shook her head and gritted her teeth, focusing on the present as much as possible rather than what could have been.

She made her choice.

Her eyes widened as they beheld the white mark ahead, now without a pair of feet standing on them. She grunted as she tucked into a roll, her ponytail being whipped about like crazy as rapid fire blasts of air sailed over or behind her, slamming into the rock and throwing up small puffs of dirt and pebbles. Immediately she put herself on the counterattack, unfolding her legs and curving a little as she flung a hand out behind, a stream of wild and raging air slamming into the ground.

She waited a heartbeat, before extending her legs and kicking out twice with them, feeling the familiar rush of warmth flow down her body and into her legs before manifesting as fire, which had collected into two flat lines and launched forwards, towards the oncoming dark clothed figure sprinting at his best.

As she tucked her legs in under herself and kicked, the movement quickly putting her back into a standing position, she registered a flurry of air slices, neat and tidy compared to what she could do, fling themselves towards her. On instinct she let herself tip backwards and kick both feet upwards, throwing her hands towards the ground to stop from injuring herself as a column of unstable air rose up in front of her and rushed forwards into the oncoming masses of wind, dissipating one of them on impact.

But the others weren't stopped so easily and a flash of movement on the edge of the dirty column of twisting wind drew her attention away from them, a ball of pressurized air in his palm as he skidded along the ground, low and fast to avoid the clumsy punches of air she sent towards him. As he straightened and continued his run one of them managed to clip his shoulder, but the massive kinetic force contained within was enough to wrench his shoulder back, eliciting a pained grunt from the boy who continued to close in on her.

She found herself tipping forwards towards the ground as the wind slices from before slammed into her ankles and flipped her into the air. The familiar urge to use her gift overwhelmed her but she narrowed her eyes as she quelled the urge with a massive effort.

Instead she flung her hands out and stopped from falling to the ground, pushing back up and twisting to the side as a kick of wind spiraled past only barely avoiding her side.

Korra looked within herself and gathered a large amount of energy as she came to a standstill, her muscles bruised and aching as she lifted her leg up and kicked forwards, a spiraling spear of wind extending from the sole of her foot and towards where the sprinting boy was, deadset on slamming straight into his chest as he had no chance to dodge this close to her.

Without warning her strength flagged considerably and the spear of wind wobbled and bucked for a second before slamming into the ground in front of the boy. He disappeared from her sight as she fought to keep upright despite the loss of energy. And grunted at the feeling of a hard surface being slammed into her stomach, although noticeably not enough to leave a bruise as she gritted her teeth, trying to grab the shoulders of the boy in front of her.

But it wasn't enough as suddenly the ball of air split apart and a gargantuan rush of wind sent her tumbling and rolling back, only coming to a rest after five seconds. Her ears rang terribly and her belly hurt as she found the strength to sit up, keeping a hand on her forehead to stop the spinning as Tai ran towards her, his grey eyes full of concern.

Her bending, it didn't work.

"Korra! Are you okay? I should have been more careful..." She could barely his words beyond the ringing noise and as she stared up at him a single thought rose. He had beaten her. And it was all her fault. She lifted her head and nodded, wordlessly extending her hand to him.

She couldn't fixate on anything but her airbending, how it had stopped working at the most crucial moment and how it happened with no warning. She felt a shiver go up her spine as she stared at the ground past Tai's shoulder, avoiding the concerned grey eyes fixed on her. She noticed a sliver of movement on his part as his hand touched her shoulder, probably meant to comfort her over a issue that definitely wasn't _there_.

Something made her look up and smile at him and roll her shoulders as if nothing had happened. "It's just a scratch, nothing serious!" She heard her voice say cheerfully, making her wonder why she would lie like that.

Still, it seemed to have calmed her friend down somewhat, his shoulders dropping as he gave her a unsure nod. Mirroring what she was thinking. "Terrible at lying, but I know you'll want some space." She should have known he'd peg on so quickly.

She still couldn't bring herself to say anything to him so she settled for a curt nod as he folded his arms together, extending his finger to scratch some stubble on his chin before she saw a stupid looking grin emerge on him. "So that was over pretty quickly. In about five minutes actually... I'm not trying to change the subject at all."

Despite the fact that her airbending had just failed occupied her thoughts, the ghost of a smile came to her features. His grin changed took on a genuine warmth as he moved a little closer to her side. "I didn't notice the change at all to be honest." Her smile grew with the quiet tone of her voice, then changed to a slight curious frown as she spotted a certain pale-skinned friend standing at the top of the steps.

"Asami?" She called out while waving to the girl, making her jump a little before moving down the steps towards the two of them.

Korra watched as Tai straightened while scratching the back of his neck, his other hand up in greeting as the heiress came to a stop. "What's up, Asami?"

"Hey guys! Just wanted to visit, see how you're doing." She shrugged, the boy noticing how she had her arms locked to her sides and her hands hidden in her pockets. She also seemed to be... frazzled, which Tai had never known her to be like.

"...Okay?" He couldn't help the concerned edge his voice took on and he had a very good feeling Korra was struggling with the same thing.

The Avatar took a few steps towards her friend, the uncomfortable thoughts about her bending failing forgotten in place of concern for Asami, who definitely did not look okay. "We're doing fine. Are you feeling okay?" She felt a tremor of increased worry when she didn't answer immediately, definitely something there.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine..." She exchanged a worried glance with Tai as the heiress trailed off, going completely silent for a few moments as she stared at the ground beneath her feet. "This may sound strange, but do you guys wanna hang out for a few hours?" Korra nodded immediately to placate the desperate look in her friend's eyes.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?" Korra took a few more steps forward, waiting for a answer before gently tapping her friend's shoulder. "How about shopping? You're great at that stuff!" As Asami looked at her she chuckled, putting a hand next to her mouth as she leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You can pick out clothes for me as well. And him."

"Oh damn." Tai muttered, unfortunately still high enough that the girls could both giggle at his expense.

"Thanks Korra. I think _orange_ suits him." Asami perked up immediately as she winked at Tai, who folded his arms and sighed as he shook his head.

"Once again. Oh. Damn." he muttered, his chin drooping as Korra's hand clamped onto his shoulder and started pulling him behind her while Asami led the way towards the top of the steps.

* * *

_Tia-Lan District._

Despite his brother's opinions about the city, Bolin loved being out and about during the day.

A muffled squeak came out from his collar, and Bolin looked down with his head tilted as he kept a eye on the path ahead. "I know where it is, buddy. Don't worry." He looked down to see the Ferret's tilted head looking up at him, a pair of eyes filled with intelligence judging his non-existent navigation skills.

"Don't give me that look! See, that hedge was completely different from the six others we passed." His inspiring words seemed to have a effect on his little companion, who began to squeak and chitter in a fashion suspiciously close to laughter.

Bolin folded his arms and looked down at the Ferret with a pout as the row of immaculately cut green leaves cut off, terminating at a corner leading to another row of crimson colored houses and apartments.

As he followed the footpath running in front of these houses he still couldn't believe that you could actually live somewhere where the immediate surroundings belonged to you and no one else, Asami's manor being a exception since her family were the richest in the city.

But he had no idea Sensha lived in a place like this. He breathed in the clean and fresh air around here, feeling a vague sense of familiarity about the air as it rushed into his lungs, remembering that way back when he and his older brother were little kids, they lived in a small house very similar to these ones.

Bolin wondered if he could find it again, maybe he could ask her about it?

The green hedgerows gave way to a low-lying brick wall, doing very little to hide a brightly painted house from the streetside. In all regards it actually looked smaller than the rest, a little narrower than them but making up for it with increased length, stretching towards the fence at the back of the property.

He scratched the back of his neck as he frowned for a moment, trying to remember what animal the statue on Sensha's front porch would be. The front door crashed open and a little girl ran out, arms out like a airplane's wings as she hopped down the steps and onto the neatly raked gravel path stretching from the house and ending near his feet.

She looked up and noticed him standing on the footpath, a smile lighting up her features as she immediately set off at a run along the path. He grinned as he squatted down to her height, enabling the little girl's arms to wrap around his broad shoulders as she slammed into his chest at a slightly frightening amount of speed that managed to nearly knock him backwards onto the pavement. "Fire Ferret!" She exclaimed as she buried her head into his shoulder in greeting.

Momentarily Bolin was unsure of what to do, but that went away when Pabu made a move for him and unwrapped himself from his partner's neck, chittering a hello to the giggling girl as he settled on her shoulders. He grinned as he carefully placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mr Cuddly's back, Sari. Have you seen your sis-"

"Nevermind that! I've got everything set out!" He blinked twice as she stepped back and beckoned for him to follow, before running back up the path and disappearing into the house, taking Pabu with her.

Slowly he stood up and walked forwards, a curious frown on him as he approached the steps leading to the porch and the front door of the house. He winced as the steps immediately started protesting his feet being on them, and continued over them as quickly as possible until the loud squeaking stopped.

He gulped as he ducked his head under the top of the doorframe, holding onto the side to keep balance as he stepped through into a hallway with a large opening immediately to the side, leading into a open and spacious sitting area that had floor cushions strewn all over the place, their placement managing to form a crude ring around the low lying table in the center of the room.

Bolin peered into the room for a few seconds, trying to listen for any hints of where Sari had run off to, before giving up and turning around, coming face to face with a sweetly grinning old woman who only came to the top of his shoulders. The urge to scream in a manlike fashion nearly took over all other things on his mind, but incredibly he managed a still manlike squeak instead.

The old woman chuckled as she folded her arms together. "Well this is strange. I never knew my granddaughter personally knew one of the Fire Ferrets. How nice to meet you, Bolin." The sweet little old lady tones soothed him somewhat, although he still jumped a little when she laughed again. "You've picked a bad time to ask her out, young man, she hasn't come back home yet."

That had completely slipped his mind. And this would make what he wanted to ask her much more difficult to do. His cheeks reddened for a moment when he picked up on what she said, immediately holding his hands up and laughing nervously. "Oh, its nothing like that, well... sort of... I mean, I just came here to ask if she wanted to-" he stopped himself, realizing that sounded exactly the same as what the old lady was getting at. He sighed and stopped babbling for a few seconds, before looking at the old lady. "Do you know when she comes home?"

"Any time now, young man." She said, before turning and shuffling down the hallway, leaving Bolin to hang his head and nod, he studied a few dusty portraits on the wall nearby, before noticing a cleaner frame sitting on a small table near a closed door. He couldn't leave his curiosity alone and walked over, keeping as quiet as possible so as not to intrude on her family's goodwill.

The photograph was considerably well cared for, and the frame of warm brown wood it was in had a much higher amount of polish on it than the others and looked as if it was cleaned fairly regularly. For a moment Bolin thought he recognized the tall young man in the photo, a covering of stubble visible on his lantern-shaped jawline and a twinkle of cheer in his eyes that even stood out on the photograph. Both arms were by his sides, and as Bolin recognized the pro-bending uniform he wore he knew who that was.

He would ask Mako the next time he saw him.

The sound of running footsteps made him turn around, but he wasn't fast enough as the sole of a heavy boot crunched his cheek, bringing up a yelp in him as he tumbled to the floor in a heap, ears ringing as his head slammed onto the tough floorboards.

Even though his vision swam like crazy as he sat up, he could still see the panicking expression of the pale face of the spirit pulling him up with a midnight covered hand. His ears rang still as the apparition spoke, sounding like someone he was supposed to be meeting. "Bolin are you alright?! I'm so sorry!"

He was certain the spirit looked at him with its eyes glowing a blazing amber. He shook his head and his vision cleared up, seeing that it was just Sensha. "Sensha?" he forgot the ache of the huge bruise on his cheek as he tried his best to find her within the flowing dark green skirt and the leather chest armor she wore. "Is that you in all that?"

"Uh, oh yeah it is!" She grinned nervously as she extended a hand down to him which he immediately grabbed onto, glad that his fingers wouldn't slip on the smooth yet firm dark material on her gloves. As he was pulled up, he couldn't help staring at the metal forehead protector on her headband, being five thin and long bars of paled brass arranged horizontally above one another. He pulled himself away from the strange looking arrangement when he saw her looking at the floor and wringing her hands. "Sorry, I only got off the boat a hour ago, and... still in Kyoshi mode I guess."

"Nothing to worry about. I've actually been looking for you." She looked at him with a question ready before they both heard the sounds of a little child coming through the sliding door at the back of the sitting room, accompanied with sounds of tinkling and the nervous chitters of a ferret. Sari poked her head in and waved at him for a bit before seeing her bigger sister standing there.

"You're back!" Sari ran over to her sister straight away and wrapped her arms around Sensha's legs, grinning up at her happily before noticing what she was wearing. "Why are you wearing grandma's old dress?"

Sensha grinned and rolled her eyes as she squatted down and wrapped her little sister in her arms. "I went to the same place, Sari."

Bolin's mouth hung open for a few moments as his brain started up and sifted through the details, taking a while before coming to a theory. "You went to _Kyoshi Island?_" he said in hushed awe.

Which prompted her to arch a eyebrow and place a hand on her hip as she looked at him. "I did mention it before I left the city. Why do you think I didn't call during the last four months?"

He held his finger up for a moment before chuckling nervously. "Um, well. The attic doesn't actually, you know- have - a phone."

"Korra and Asami both knew." She rolled her eyes as he held up his hands in apology, sighing as she folded her arms together. "So... you wanted to ask me _out somewhere_ as gran says?" She laughed at his red cheeks for a few seconds. "Kidding! What do you need?"

Bolin rubbed the back of his neck as Pabu unwrapped himself from Sari's shoulders and ran up his leg and onto his shoulders, taking his place in Bolin's collar again. The boy placed the tips of his fingers together as he looked at her. "Would you be interested... in joining the Fire Ferrets?" He was really hanging himself far here, and the seconds stretched for forever as he watched her eyes light up as she drew a small breath.

* * *

_Blue Essence, Silk Street Markets._

He rapped his knuckles against the top of his knee, using his other hand to support his chin as he stared blankly at the gaudily bright blue paint on the walls. The chair he sat on was rickety and definitely not from the same supplier the store used for everything else.

Tai suppressed a bored sigh as a young woman whose smile reached all the way to her eyes came over, dressed in a bright blue blazer with a name badge pinned to the breast. "Is everything fine, sir?" Her eyes quickly flitted to all of the boxes and bags sitting around his feet before settling on him again.

Giggles carried over from the gap between the wall and the ceiling he sat in front of as he folded his arms together and put on a grin. "Yep. Everything's good." He stared up at the ceiling, trying to ignore the silky smoothness of the bright orange scarf laying in his lap.

The shop assistant still hovered nearby, throwing looks at the wall of the dressing room before smiling at him again. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

Without looking away from a scorch mark he just spotted on the ceiling he already knew what he was going to say. "Yes." his exasperation was not lost on the assistant, who he realised was probably a little insulted that he didn't compliment the gaudy blue paintjob of the store. So he looked down, settling on her name badge for a few seconds before looking at her. "I am enjoying myself, _Yuna_."

He noticed how long it took for her to nod, and yet the whole time she still had that smile on, which he guessed was something that she had to do as a employee at the store. She bowed and moved away, walking down the little hallway and into the larger store beyond.

He breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he could sit here without any interruption. He tipped his head back against the wall and resumed rapping his knuckles for a few minutes, before finally getting bored enough to knock on the wall. "Sixth time you've been in a dressing room today and you're _still_ taking a long time?"

Tai should have known better than to ask that, especially when giggles answered him. He heaved a frustrated sigh as he knocked on the wall again. "And will you stop giggling? Its weird coming from the Avatar!" As he said this he noticed the mousy guy sitting on a chair just like his at the end of the hallway, staring in awe at him for a strange reason. "What?"

* * *

_Silk Street Markets._

She exhaled a happy sigh as she walked down the street, a absolutely mind boggling amount of differently sized and very differently colored bags slung over her shoulder, the clothes and various other items within making a small amount of noise with each step she made.

Next to her, Asami had a similar feeling of joy mirroring her own, pleasing Korra that her friend had been cheered up simply by going out and buying several truckloads of random things that until recently she had no idea what do with.

Korra reckoned that a few months ago she would have been confused and wary of every store they stepped into, and would rather go to the park to hunt for fish with Naga or do some training with Tenzin. But that was before she had been introduced to a mysterious word that only now had some kind of meaning attached to it. Fashion.

While she still didn't quite get the subtle nuances associated with the word, she was now comfortable and borderline proficient when it came to navigating the often bright and extravagant interiors of clothing stores, which Asami told her was essentially a tactic designed to entice potential buyers into spending more time indoors and in close contact to their products.

Which she had to admit, looked rather nice on her. Or so she thought. Asami had probably guessed by now judging by how many times she had already told her, but _she_ _really loved the armsleeves_.

She had to hand it to Asami, she definitely knew how to get by with this stuff. A groan rose to her ears from below, bringing a smirk to her as she looked down at the boy she was currently dragging along by the end of his longcoat.

He had his best unimpressed look on as he folded his arms across his chest, arching an eyebrow at the lingering looks a few passing girls and, strangely, older women gave him. The ones from the girls he had a idea about, but as for the older women... that was creepy. He shook the thoughts away as he glanced up at her, trying very hard to ignore her body's movement as he scowled. "Why did you two have to drag me along?"

"Because you're difficult." Asami chimed in, making him grind his teeth a little in order to prove how difficult he could be. Which he thought was rather childish of him to be honest. "Are you liking that scarf Korra picked out?" Once again he ground his teeth, although this was to stave off the uncomfortably true notion that he _loved the fabulously orange scarf and he couldn't get enough of it_.

Although he would never say that out loud. To anyone. Especially her. He sighed at the idea that she probably knew already. He grunted as the direction they were walking in changed, and his view of the line of boring extravagant stores changed to a even longer and even more boring line of extravagant stores, out of which came a constant line of giggling lines of schoolgirls, the closest of which were giving him lingering looks.

He honestly hoped it was because of his scruffiness, he didn't want to deal with that kind of stuff now. "Huh? Oh, yeah its not that bad."

"You know my arm's getting tired of dragging you." He rolled his eyes at her as best he could from where he was, if she stopped dragging him how else could they carry the tower of boxes currently balancing on his lap?

"You know, the things in these boxes are very breakable. Thought you should know." He smirked up at her, then winced when he saw the death glare coming from Asami. Which would probably turn into something physically threatening if he even knocked one of them.

As the dark look on her was replaced with that happy one again, he retreated back into his thoughts, wondering how he had been dragged into something so meaningless when he could be back home training or out looking for clues on his brother. The mere thought of his brother brought a tinge of sadness to his thinking, bringing along with it the more and more likely fact that he would never find him.

A fact never deterred him though.

"Hey its Bolin. And Sensha!" He heard Korra exclaim, releasing her grip on him as she jogged across the street towards them.

Tai rubbed his head gingerly for a few moments to dull the ache as he shifted the boxes off of his lap and onto the side of the curb, mainly so he could get the opportunity to stretch the muscles used in holding them for so long. He noticed Asami had followed Korra, already drawing close to where Bolin and Sensha sat on a bench across the street.

He supposed he should get a move on and head over himself, mainly to get the opportunity to point and gawk at the big green dress Sensha was wearing. But as he stood up and dusted himself off, he caught a glimpse of movement past the mouth of the alleyway nearby. Curious, he moved towards the entrance and peered down its length, seeing a pair of figures facing one another.

And one of them was hooded.

All of his grumbling thoughts about shopping and scarfs were washed away by a feeling of relief, and he wasted no time sprinting into the darkness of the alley, the light from the setting sun quickly falling behind him as he hopped over a rotting piece of wood, the only thing on his mind being what to say and what to do.

The pounding of his feet echoed off the walls of the alley, and the two figures turned towards the approaching boy, with the hooded one immediately taking off at a sprint further into the warren of alleyways, perplexing Tai as to why he would run away from him.

He came to a skidding halt a few meters away, stopping in a puddle of water as he stared in disbelief at the unhooded figure still standing there and his dark blue eyes. "Boto?"

The waterbender turned towards him, face impassive for a few moments as he stared down at the ground at his feet, a slip of paper slowly being crushed by his tightening fist. Tai didn't move at all as he looked back up, a look of anger flitting across his features before a smile settled. "Long time no see, huh?" He tilted his head, folding his arms together like he hadn't just been talking to a strange figure in a alley as he moved closer. "What's wrong? You look a little... well, like you, actually."

He didn't say anything back, still fixated on that split-second look of pure rage from before, didn't react as the waterbender walked past him and down the alley, moving towards the streetside before stopping and peering out of it. "Well. It looks like the others are here as well! I should probably go to them. I'll see you there!"

His eyes flitted to where the waterbender was, and that look of pure rage still wouldn't budge from his thoughts.

* * *

_'Kuruk Town', Docks District_.

The engine whined a little as he guided the bike into the narrow space, the steam rising from the slick wetness of the ground making it a little difficult to keep the bike going straight. He compensated by putting a little more speed on and barreled down its length, swerving around a almost skeletal man and leveling out just before he rode out into the street again, the dirty buildings on either side now replaced by the stars and occasional shadowy smokestacks reaching up from the factories and plants that dotted the district.

His bike's passage was loud and drew many eyes, some of which belonged to men and woman who simply stared from the depths of pale blue colored hoods and robes, no doubt already seeing by his uniform and level of cleanliness that he was a cop. Some of his friends at the station had warned him this was a bad place to be caught out alone. Especially in the dead of night.

But Mako knew he could handle himself. Always had to for Bolin's sake.

As he passed under the dirty glow of a street lamp his vision of the gloom was severely hampered, and for a moment all he could do was continue forwards along the road, trying to stay near the center of it and in the glow of the street lamps. While he could handle himself he still didn't want any unnecessary risks.

Ignoring the glares coming from a group of dock workers at the street corner he guided the bike further down the road, navigating closer and closer to his destination by the high wall that ran alongside the footpath, the top covered with barbed wire to deter criminals from breaking into the large and squat building it surrounded. Based on his sources, he knew that it wasn't the fence that kept them out.

To his surprise the gates had already been opened, putting him on edge a little as he drove past them and into the large empty space before the building, bags of garbage scattered about and sheets of paper being blown about by the wind. He brought the bike to a standstill and turned the key, bringing a dying gurgle to the engine as the bike rolled on its own momentum for a few seconds until he used a brief blast of fire to still it.

Kicking the stand down he swung his leg over the seat and onto the ground, the gravel crunching under his boots as he reached a hand up to take off his helmet. He flicked a scratch on the side of the shiny black plastic before dropping it onto the hook at the end of the seat. He moved away from his bike, keeping a slow and cautious pace towards the gloomily lit building ahead in case he needed to get some distance from any gangbangers trying to get cred for taking down a cop and the Avatar's boyfriend.

He didn't like it when people stared at him and Korra in the street, and even less when those very same people started whispers behind their back mostly to do with his 'station of life'.

Pushing those thoughts away he spied a metal balcony looming overhead, stretching across the entire front of the building and granting easy access to the second level, no doubt meant for winches to pull up merchandise and product and quickly store them in the large space inside for shipping and distribution.

Mako looked up at the building behind him, noticing that the roof corner was well-placed for someone to easily jump down onto the walkway and gain access to the rest of the warehouse. He looked up at the railing bordering the walkway, quick calculations of distance and power going through his head before he felt a familiar warmth flow from his chest, along his shoulders and down his arms.

The flow of warmth collected in the palms of his hands and he concentrated on the image of a flame, letting the collected warmth billow into outright fire that gathered above his palms. He angled his hands towards the ground and held his arms tight, feeding more energy into the jets of flame until he had just the right amount.

He splayed his fingers outwards and projected the flames downwards, the force from them lifting him to a height just above the railing of the walkway. He cut off the warmth going down his arms as he flailed for a few moments before grabbing the railing with both hands, wasting no time in swinging himself over and onto the walkway.

His boots made a clanging noise on the cheap grated metal as he noticed a pile of splinters and glass nearby, painted by the puddle of dried blood coming from nearby. He sighed as he stepped over the mess, waving a hand about himself to ward off the flys gathered nearby as he peered into a short hallway for a few moments, listening for any nearby signs of movement before moving across its length towards the door at the end.

As his fingers closed around the brass knob the door squeaked open and he noticed several large cracks running through the door's frame which stopped it from closing properly.

The picture inside was a mess.

Three bodies littered the room. All arrayed around a table in the center of the room had been snapped in half with playing cards and bottle caps spread out across its broken surface. He held a hand to his nose and mouth when the smell hit him, coming from someone lying facedown in the entire mess, his blue eyes wide and open with fear evident. Mako squatted down to get a closer look, grimacing as the smell only grew in potency as he looked at the young man's face, guessing that he couldn't have been more than 20 years old, possibly even the same age as him. If he died because of a brawl, one of the others had to have some kind of very well-cared for blade on them, judging by the clean and almost _orderly_ red slit just over the heart.

Mako shook his head as he stared at the body next to the young man's, already putting a age on it going by the weathered features and wrinkles around the surprised blue eyes. He noticed a knife's hilt sticking out from a grievous and jagged wound in the old man's back as he stepped over, moving towards the largest corpse in the room, a big guy with brown skin who had fallen by the window among a bed of broken glass, a single and very clean cut visible on the side of his neck. A quick stab with what must have been a very high-quality weapon, he gathered.

He stepped over the jagged wood and glass shards, eyes on the sturdy looking metal doorframe at the other end of the room, which looked to be in the exact same state as the previous door.

He grimaced at the thought of someone being able to rip apart a metal doorframe so thoroughly. He made sure to avoid the jagged metal edges of the broken door as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the poor lighting in the small room, quickly seeing that it was in just as poor a shape as the room outside. The filing cabinets shoved up against the walls looked scratched and rusted, their drawers torn out and thrown across the floor with their contents laid bare.

The shelves above his head sat crooked and misaligned, the most intact of them missing a few fixtures due to being hit with extreme force. But what was most interesting about the room was the black box sitting on its own and undisturbed on a bench nearby, looking almost completely fine apart from the numerous scratches and cuts marring every inch of the outside. Its lid hung open, letting him look in and see nothing but the boxes interior.

It was completely empty.

With nothing else of value in the room he stepped out, clamping a hand to his mouth and nose to stop the nauseous smell from bothering him too much as he stepped over the broken mess in the center of the room, trying to avoid looking at the young man's twisted body nearby and the look of frozen terror on what should have been full of life.

He would need to call this in as soon as possible. As he turned and took a step towards the hallway leading outside someone took a sharp intake of breath. He narrowed his eyes and summoned a ball of flame as he moved over to the broken window, peering through it to find whoever had made the sound.

He heard it again, this time so close that the hairs on his neck stood up. He twisted around with a flame at the ready to defend himself, only to be roughly pushed back by a pair of hands, he managed to right himself before hitting the windowsill and regained his bearings, rushing forward and grabbing the tall collar on the dark longcoat the unknown figure was wearing.

Mako blinked twice as he saw the pale former Wolfbat's highly refined features. "Tahno?"

* * *

土


	6. The Broken Mask, the Avatar's Doubt

土

* * *

_City Hall._

"Korra?"

Something, some kind of collection of noises slipped into her barely functioning thoughts as she dozed with her head tipped back against Oogi's saddle and a trickle of saliva elegantly falling out of the side of her open mouth. The noises irritated her and she pawed at whatever was nearby to get rid of them. "Shut, shuddup..." she mumbled.

In her dreams, she heard a familiar sigh even though there was nothing there but her and the waves. And a voice followed. "I tried."

The saddle jostled violently under her, wrecking her dreams and making her wake from her dozing with a frenzied yelp. She looked around with wild eyes, blinking constantly at the sleep dust irritating her.

She swung her gaze towards Tenzin as he placed a hand on the saddle's lip, swinging his legs over and standing up straight at the front of Oogi's saddle. He had a innocent look on him as he straightened his mantle and indicated that the steps to City Hall were nearby.

Korra slowly pushed herself up to her feet, swaying a little as her hair came down in twisted tangles. She narrowed her eyes as she blew a thick strand out of her mouth, then wiped the drool away with the back of her wrist. "You're evil!"

"I'm Avatar Aang's son, Korra. I'm not allowed to be evil." Tenzin stated in the most obvious way possible, even managing to keep his face neutral with not even a hint of amusement to betray him. "Now let's go."

"Why, why am I here?" she groaned in the midst of a yawn, stretching her arms high above her head before following him down Oogi's side and up the elaborate building's white stone steps. "Its morning. I shouldn't be awake now, I should be sleeping, in my bed back on the island-"

"You're the Avatar, Korra." Tenzin glanced over his shoulder at her as he laid his hands on the heavy oak doors. "Sleeping in is part of the sacrifices you have to make."

"Yay."

He chuckled as he pushed the doors open, the low grinding of their hinges against the stone sending echoes up and down the massive main hall. "I received from General Iroh that he found something he would like to show to us. He wanted Tai to see as well."

"Why? And why didn't you crush his dreams and drag him along with me?"

Tenzin shrugged as he led her further into the hall, past the long benches until he stopped just before the series of steps up to the council table. "No idea. He'll be arriving soon, so we just have to wait for him."

"Fine." Korra yawned and stretched as she spied the nearest bench and made a beeline for it. A relieved sigh came out of her as she sunk into it, ignoring the uncomfortable hardness of the wood digging into her thighs and back as she leaned back and placed her hands behind her head.

"I've been meaning to ask. How was your shopping trip yesterday?"

Korra cracked a eye open and looked at Tenzin. "Huh? Oh. It was nice. Had lots of fun."

"Good. Good. I assume Asami did most of the buying?"

"Eh. Yeah. She is the head of her own company, if you haven't heard."

"Did you get anything for yourself?"

Korra shrugged as she expelled a deep breath. "Just a few pairs of socks. Some pants. Shirts. And girl stuff. A scarf as well."

"A scarf?"

"Yeah... uh, not for me though. For someone else."

Tenzin tapped his lip with his finger. "Come to think of it, I did see Tai around with some orange scarf-"

"Avatar Korra?" A voice interrupted.

Korra recognised the Council Page's thin and nasally tones, watching him appear from the end of the hallway on the other side of the council table and trotting towards them, a hand readjusting his glasses. "Yeah. What do you want?" She didn't have time for whatever reason he was sent.

"Councilman Pok is waiting to speak with you, in the Water Tribe Representative's office."

"What? Why? Where are the rest of the council?"

The Council Page turned to Tenzin, bowing deeply. "Avatar Korra has been overdue for a meeting with the council for some time now."

He stepped forward, indicating himself. "I'm part of the council, why wasn't I informed-"

Again he bowed. "My deepest apologies, Councilman Tenzin. But owing to you and your sibling's familiarity with the Avatar, Councilman Pok feels that it isn't necessary for you or them to attend this meeting." He nodded and turned back towards Korra, sweeping his arm towards the stretch of hallway he appeared from. "If you would follow me, Avatar."

She glanced nervously at Tenzin, waiting as the Page had moved off a little. "Any advice about this guy? He seems a little off for a councilman." She paused and thought about what she just said, realizing that Tarrlok was a little 'off' as well when she had met him.

"Not much. Only that he used to be a information broker for various businesses in Republic City."

"A information broker?"

"Someone who gathers secrets and sells them off to interested people. They are very influential in the business world. Be careful, Korra. Men like him don't have room for morals in their line of work. The fact that you are the Avatar will not faze him."

"Sounds like someone who gossips too much to me." She flashed a grin at him, hoping that her bravado was able to match it.

"I just want you to be careful." Tenzin laid a hand on Korra's shoulder, more than a little reluctant to let her go into that room alone. The last time she went she- Tenzin blinked away the thought, knowing that was in the past now. "I will be close."

To his surprise she didn't look surprised or shrug him off. She simply nodded. His reassurance didn't do as much to calm her down as she hoped it would.

"Avatar?" The page's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Coming!" She answered back, reluctantly walking past Tenzin. "Good luck with Iroh. I'll meet you there as soon as I'm done here."

Tenzin nodded just before she turned into the hallway and lost sight of him behind the wall. She sighed as she followed the Council Page towards a flight of stairs tightly winding around up around itself to the second level balconies. She easily caught up to him in a few quick strides as he trotted up the steps. "So, I haven't heard anything about this new councilman. What's his name?"

"I apologize, Avatar, but it would be improper of me to tell you in place of him."

Her shoulders dropped as they reached the top of the stairs. "Oh. Okay."

"But I can tell you that he is the new representative for the Northern Water Tribe. Handpicked by Chief Unalaq himself."

"My uncle picked him?"

"Indeed, Avatar-" the Council Page skidded to a halt halfway along the walkway overlooking the main hall. "-Wait, you're related to Chieftain Unalaq?!"

"Yeah. Always have been."

"Interesting, I never knew that. Right this way."

Korra kept with him all the way to the other end of the balcony walkway, passing several pairs of closed doors until the Council Page stopped at the last, opening it up to a corridor only running a short length, ending at a narrow wall with a window showing the streetside. He trotted down it until he came to the only door built into the nearby wall. It was made of wood colored a metallic grey, and the many alternating swirls and arcs tracing its surface gave it a slightly watery appearance.

The Council Page placed his hands on the doors, and cleared his throat before glancing over his shoulder at her. "Please show him the respect you would expect of him, Avatar Korra."

She crossed her arms with a strange look as the door opened, showing the drab blues and greys of the expansive room on the other side. The page held the door open for her. She stepped past him, and immediately he offered a quick bow and exited out of the room, shutting the door behind her with a noise that echoed around the room.

The man at the desk looked up at her and smiled, showing filed teeth. A slight shiver went down her spine as she slowly walked into the center of the room, standing before him.

"I would ask you to sit, young Avatar, but the... encounter you had with my predecessor leaves me a little apprehensive to the idea. I do believe your waterbending had a hand in destroying many parts of this room." Korra felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. How did he- the large man stood up and clasped his hands behind his back, turning away from her and running his fingers along a thick crack in the beautiful mural wall behind the desk, veiled by a thin waterfall. "A crude way to introduce myself, I know." he turned back to her and bowed. "My name is Pok, representative for the Northern Water Tribe to Republic City's esteemed council."

"Um, my name is Korra. Avatar Korra." she put her fists against each other and returned his bow, still feeling slight shivers up her spine. "How did you-"

"Your bow has excellent form. The White Lotus must have offered you the best teachers they could find." Pok still had the smile on as he sat back down, perhaps not realizing that he interrupted her.

"Uh. Thanks." Korra straightened, wondering how he could have known about that for a moment before focusing on why she was here. "Councilman, you asked to see me about something?"

Pok chuckled into his fist. "Yes, it was rather selfish of me wasn't it? I'm afraid I only wanted to see Avatar Aang's successor for myself. And I am impressed."

"Thank you, can-"

The councilman didn't giver her a chance to finish. "I understand that you'll be beginning the first of many rebending ceremonies in a few days time?"

Korra couldn't help getting annoyed at how he wouldn't let her get more than a few words. "I- yeah- I will."

He smiled at her. "Excellent. One question."

Again she couldn't help it. Another shiver went down her spine. She couldn't help it. "Yes?"

"Your own bending. Didn't Amon take away yours as well?"

Korra froze in place, remembering the cliffs, remembering her own tears, remembering Aang's words. And still trying to unravel them. "He did. But I got them back."

"Hmm. Interesting. No side-effects?" Again he smiled, this time with a apologetic edge, although his words were unmistakably direct and armor-shattering.

Her fists clenched. "No." she said, keeping her voice as level as possible.

"I do apologize if I am upsetting you, child, but I only want to be sure that you are up to the monumental task of taking over Avatar Aang's duties and responsibilities, especially with Republic City's citizens looking up to you to rebuild their shattered lives tomorrow night. Now, I have taken too much of your time and once again I apologize. It was a pleasure to meet you, Avatar."

She slowly nodded, getting another shiver at a glimpse of the shark-teeth smile.

* * *

_Gateway Wharf, Republic City._

Despite having lived for the past six months in a city that boasted soaring skyscrapers of all shapes and sizes, with even the smallest of them standing higher than the Fire Lord's Palace in Caldera, extravagant displays of wealth such as the pro-bending arena and the Sato estate, and works of international effort such as Avatar Aang's statue, Tai had never really been impressed by any of them.

This changed as soon as Oogi dipped through the cloudcover into the remarkably clean and clear sky above the city's main wharf and dockyards. It wasn't the domed building below them admitting a steady stream of immigrants through its massive brass gates that had made his jaw drop. It wasn't the magnitude and scale of the docklands sitting on either side, stretching out of the eye's reach as it played host to hundreds of ships, big and small.

It was the huge knife-shaped hull sitting lazily in its berth just a couple hundred meters shy of the main wharf, a series of towers running along the middle of its topdeck with flanged edges giving it a vicious appearance, complemented by the sets of massive four-barrel cannons mounted on the fore and aft sections, the blood-red insignia of the Fire Nation emblazoned on its guns. Completely clad in blackened metal that didn't reflect the sun, it made for a dark and foreboding engine of destruction.

He had never seen something so huge in his _life_. It simply spun his head that something building-sized could even float in the water!

"See that, kid?" Tai glanced over his shoulder at Bumi as he walked across the length of the saddle, his arms held out for balance until he stopped and sat next to him. "You've got the pride of the Fire Nation Navy right in your sights. The _Ran. _Usually you'd see his sister ship the _Shaw_ close by, but she's still in the Fire Nation."

"What are they doing here?"

"Could have something to do with Iroh's message." Tenzin offered, glancing quickly over his shoulder at both of them before turning back to guide Oogi towards a section off of the main entrance into the military wharf.

"Nope. As part of the agreement between Fire Lord Rin and our lovely little city council, ships from either nation are free to dock at any port in the United Republic and Fire Nation. I still gotta get used to calling Rin that..." Bumi trailed off for a moment before shuffling towards the front of the saddle and slapping Tenzin in the shoulder. "So! What was the little firestarter's message about anyway?"

Tenzin glanced at Tai for a moment with a strange look before answering. "We'll... find out soon enough."

Oogi landed with a grunt. Bumi was the first to disembark, whistling tunelessly as he slid down the Bison's side. Oogi swung his ponderous head towards the wild-haired man, and grumbled. Bumi stopped and poked his tongue at the ill-tempered bison as Tenzin and Tai joined him.

Tai could hear snippets of a heated 'debate' going back and forth from the two uniformed men flanking the heavy iron gate leading into the main building. They both immediately straightened and snapped off salutes simultaneously when they saw Bumi and Tenzin. "Sirs!"

Bumi saluted back as Tenzin inclined his head. "Where's Iroh at, boys?"

"At the dredgers station, sir. Just waiting on you, sir."

"Cool." Bumi grinned at them both as he led the way into the airy and open space inside the main building, Tenzin nodded at them both as he and Tai followed him in.

The boy arched a eyebrow as the argument started up once they were through. "-till going on about the vases? Dude-"

"We're pulling _guard__ duty_ because of those damn things. All thanks to _you_-"

His thoughts turned to vases as he followed Bumi and Tenzin through the huge space, going past mazes of black shipping crates stacked ten-high, being dwarfed by the multicolored cruisers favored by the United Forces, and at one time seeing those dwarfed compared to a huge crimson and black hulled freighter with the Futuretech logo emblazoned on its side, all of them sat in the middle of a organized chaos as metalbenders and firebenders worked on sections of their hulls, waterbenders dived underwater to scour their undersides clean and eartbenders lifted shipping crates up onto their hulls with rhythmic stomps.

Up ahead Tenzin and Bumi ducked into a small corridor connecting the building to some other part of the wharf. He followed them all the way through until he caught a glimpse of Iroh in the dimly lit room at the end, conversing with a Fire Nation women wearing the same uniform he did and her hair cut in a similar way to Sensha's.

Iroh turned to them as they walked into the room, a fairly large space only lit by a few lights hanging from the roof. Tai stopped next to Tenzin as he greeted Iroh. "General. We got your message."

"Tenzin, good to see you both-" His eyes boggled as Bumi caught him in a headlock and began furiously rubbing his knuckles through his hair. "Iroh! Haven't seen you in yonks, kid! How's it been hanging out with the lovely ms Sato?"

The short-haired woman shook her head in amusement as she watched his display. "Careful, old man, you'll give him a few burns."

Iroh pouted and glanced at her, wincing as Bumi continued knuckling his head. "Thanks for the support, _captain_. You're dismissed."

The woman grinned as she turned on her heels left down the hall, nodding her greetings at Tai and Tenzin. Tenzin rubbed a hand down his face as Bumi continued to cackle and carry on. "Brother, please..."

"What? Just saying hello." Iroh managed to worm out of Bumi's grip, dusting his shoulders off and rubbing his head gingerly. Bumi placed a arm around his shoulder. "So, what are we here for?"

"Wait, where's Korra-"

A loud squealing noise ran through the dark space as the large doors at the front of the building were slowly being pushed open, letting daylight in and illuminating part of the room with the rest left in dim shadow.

Naga's snout appeared through the gap first, followed by the rest of the Polar-Bear Dog as she squeezed her way into the interior of the building and lumbered towards them, barking a greeting. Korra cleared her throat from Naga's saddle, the sound echoing in the space. "Sorry I'm late, took a shortcut."

She jumped down from her back as everyone caught snippets of distant shouts of alarm and complaining. Korra peered behind her and scratched her shoulder. "I was kinda in a hurry." she said nervously.

"Glad you're here." Iroh said. A grim look settled on him as he turned and made a gesture with his hand.

"So what did you want to show us?" Tai asked, folding his arms as overhead all of the building's lights turned on at once. Iroh's foosteps echoed as he made his way towards the edge of a sunken pit taking up the majority of the room. His eyes narrowed as he stared into its depths.

Korra grimaced as she moved closer, getting a little creeped out by Iroh's behavior. She glanced at Tenzin and Bumi as their faces hardened when they saw what was in the pit.

As for Tai, he had moved forward, laid one hand on the railing and leaned over them with a blank expression. He bunched his other hand into a fist as he stared and stared, focusing on the single piece of white amongst the broken shards of pulverized wood, burnt to a complete black along with shattered fragments of a motor.

He didn't glance at Korra as he heard her move closer. There was the mask. And those were discharger gloves. And pairs of barely recognizable kali sticks strewn among the pile of splinters and burnt electronics. But there was the mask, plain as day. Unscarred. Unmarred. Still bone-white with a splash of blood-red on its brow and gold on its cheeks.

"A fishing trawler pulled in yesterday with this trapped among their haul. They came to me as soon as possible. It definitely fits the description of the speedboat seen escaping from the pro-bending arena."

Tai barely heard Iroh's words, but definitely sensed the anger contained in them. As for Bumi and Tenzin they both glanced at him and Korra, watching their reactions with concerned expressions.

He heard a sharp intake of breath from Korra shake him out of his trance. Tai glanced at her to see Tenzin's hand on her shoulder. "Are you two alright?"

Korra gave a small nod but he didn't move at all. Tenzin sighed. "Bumi and I are going back to the island, are you coming-"

"No. Um, that's okay. Naga's here, so..." Next to him Korra gave Tenzin a weak smile. "We'll see you there."

After a moment's hesitation their master nodded. "If you're sure." he hanged around for a second before nodding, his footsteps echoing away.

"He's gone."

"Yeah." Korra elbowed him gently. "You gotta be feeling messed up right now."

"A little." he managed to tear himself away from the sight in the pit. "You?"

She looked down at her boots. "You know what he did to me. But I'm better now. Its in the past. Right?"

"Sure. In the past." Despite him wanting it to stay there, despite him wanting to believe that Noatak truly had no part in burning down his home, scattering his family... staring at the grim white mask down there was making it very hard to do so. And the things he did to the city, _nearly_ did to Tenzin and his family, and actually did to Korra... he didn't know what to think.

But that was in the past. The Equalists were gone. And Korra's bending had been restored by Aang. But that moment during their sparring session the day before... He turned to her. "Are you completely alright?"

The question surprised her. She looked at him. "Huh?"

"He took away your bending. You don't just bounce back from something like that." He grimaced and set his sights to the metal flooring. _Just like you don't bounce back from your life being destroyed_.

Korra didn't realise she hesitated before nodding. "I'm alright."

For a moment he wanted to do something more than be concerned for her. But that was in the past.

* * *

_Future Industries._

Asami is visiting the factory along with Verick, finding difficulty in convincing her assembly workers to use the Mecha Tanks that previously ruined their homes and harmed their friends and loved ones.)

She wringed her hands, stealing nervous glances at the towering building she stood only a few feet from. The four smokestacks, one situated on each corner of the buildings softly domed roof, were as familiar to her as the smoke-tinged air flowing into her nostrils. A memory of a four-year old grinning inanely up at her mother and father, her face caked completely in soot and ash apart from her eyes and white teeth, came to mind. Her mother fretted for days on end afterwards, while her father couldn't stop laughing.

Those days were the ones she missed the most.

Asami took a deep breath to steady herself, knowing that as soon as she walked into that building she would take charge and make sense of the factory's running. She hoped. She thought. Maybe.

She wished Iroh wasn't busy at City Hall.

The girl shook her head and approached the massive metal doors yawning ahead before she could change her mind. Her eyes followed the thick patterns of brass gears and cogs marching up and down the doors, surrounding the centerpiece, a 8 spoked cog, wrought in polished gold and only made whole when the doors met each other in the middle.

After stopping herself from anymore procrastination she pulled one of the doors open, grunting with the effort and having to heave a little before making it opened up enough for her to slip through, now standing before a factory floor of immense size and scope, the foundation of her father's dreams and hopes. And success.

Asami closed her eyes to get rid of any thoughts about him, wading into the constant waves of shouts echoing from wall to wall, the screech of a arc-grinder's blades going through metal, releasing full sprays of burning bright sparks repeated dozens of times across the four assembly lines.

A couple of workers nearby, their faces covered in grime, dust, or just old fashioned sweat, waved their greetings to her as they gathered around a workbench the small office sitting next to the main doors. She waved back, moving closer as she spied the shortest member of their group, looking out of place in his tailored blue petticoat and being the shortest among them. However, he was the focus of the group as he leaned over the workbench, pointing to different spots on the blueprints laid out for them to see.

Verick rubbed his chin as he looked up at her and grinned. "Glad you could make it, boss!" He looked at all of the workers. "Slack time's up, get back to it."

The assembled workers either chuckled or grumbled something at the smooth water triber as they left in the direction of the assembly lines, some of them stopping to say goodbye to Asami before moving off.

She watched them go as she approached the workbench, feeling the sensation of the dirt-encrusted metal on her palms. Asami tilted her head at Verick, who leaned on the workbench's corner with his hands in his pockets. He tapped the blueprints and she looked down at them, picking out the thick white lines making up the profile of a biplane. "So everything's ahead of schedule?" she said with a little more hope than she wanted.

To her relief Verick nodded. "Sure is. Your guys are some of the hardest workers I've ever seen."

"Well, one-hundred satomobiles on a daily basis is a regular workday for them. A handful of biplanes won't even break a sweat." Her face fell a little when she realized that the number of satomobile chassis actually being worked on in the assembly lines were fewer in number, lending a half-empty feeling to the factory floor. Her board told her that Cabbage Corp was beginning to overtake their sales when it came to satomobiles.

Which is why she was looking at a schematic of the reverse-engineered Equalist biplanes. It made her sick to her stomach when she first made the decision all those months ago, having just come back from the Southern Water Tribe after Korra got her bending back. She nearly went back on the decision when talking to Iroh about it, the look on the young general's face said it all. But he said yes to the deal.

And here she was.

"-the best time for- Asami, you okay? You look zoned out."

She shook her head and glanced up at the water triber, his head tilted questioningly and eyes asking questions. "Yeah. Of course."

"Right." Verick rolled his shoulders as he looked down at the schematics. "You're a terrible liar, Ms Sato." he smirked at her as he straightened and crossed his arms.

"I'm fine."

"Sure."

"Verick."

He held up his hands in defeat. "Come on. The only real break you've had was a few hours with Korra, apart from that you've been working yourself nonstop just to make sure the factory is running smoothly, not to mention that fucking press conference-"

"Okay, okay!" Now that Verick pointed it out, she did feel a little drained. Asami sighed and managed to stop focusing on numbers and measurements, and material listings, and work orders long enough to look at him. "Look... I'll go. Happy?"

Verick grinned and clapped her in the shoulder. "Good! Meet you in five?"

"Sure."

She loosed another sigh as he moved away, again wondering if she really could keep going like this.

* * *

_Police Headquarters._

"Ripped to shreds? But the bodies are intact, Kya!"

Mako glanced sidelong at Boto just as he laid his hand on the door handle, hearing Saikhan's words from inside the office. "Sounds intense."

"After what you found? I can't blame him. We should probably get in there. And bear it."

Mako nodded, taking a deep breath before pushing down on the handle and pushing the door open, wishing it wasn't metal like everything else in the building was. "Here we go..."

Stepping into the room he immediately stopped and snapped off a salute to Kya and Saikhan as they quietly bickered back and forth. Kya was leaning against one of the room's file cabinets as Saikhan continued to go on and on, until the two of them turned to see Mako and Boto enter the room.

"Chief. Lady Kya... Commander Beifong?" Mako stared at Lin as she sat on one of the couches on the wall, holding a small steaming cup of tea with one leg crossed over the other.

"Mako. Boto. Good to see you both." Lin nodded at them and took a sip from the tea, before placing it down on the table and glancing over at Saikhan and Kya. "Now can the noise stop so we can get a clear account of what happened?"

Kya scratched her neck as she sighed and rubbed her temples. Saikhan muttered something under his breath and clasped his hands together, looking at Mako and Boto. "Your discovery at the warehouse is disturbing to say the least, kid." he said, directing his attention towards Mako. "We've been-" he glanced at Kya with a dark look then back to him. "-discussing the matter, and have been debating over the result of Kya's autopsy on the bodies."

Kya rolled her eyes. "Psh. It'd probably be more productive if we hear your side of the story, basically."

Lin stood up from the couch and folded her arms while looking at him. "So what'd you see?"

The firebender's eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the floor, lost in the dim broken rooms of the warehouse for a few moments. He looked at everyone and stroked his chin. "I'm not sure I can add on anything that wasn't in my report. I got word of a disturbance over at a few warehouses used by Future Industries to move their products to the freighters going south. When I got there, it looked like a typhoon had torn up the place. There were Red Monsoons there-" he regretted closing his eyes, seeing the glazed over eyes of the kid, not much older than himself, whose stomach had been slashed open. "All of them had been killed by something or someone. And not by bending."

"That fits." Everyone looked at Kya. "All I found on them were lacerations and puncture wounds. They all bled to death, someone dealt with them up close and personal. No signs of burns, or deep bruising, or even cold tissue." Mako barely saw it, but something flickered in her eyes. Doubt. The woman took a deep breath and fiddled with her hands. "But... I have seen these kinds of wounds before. Some guy with a sword or knife couldn't have done that level of damage."

"Before?" Lin glanced at her friend. "When you were with the United Forces?"

Kya nodded. "There was a incident around twenty years back when the United Forces sent a company of men and women after a dangerous criminal into the Si Wong Desert. The identity of the criminal is _still_ classified, but to be honest, there was never much point in hiding the truth." She gave each and every one of them a look. "I was stationed as a field medic in that company. And we were chasing a airbender."

Immediately, almost irrationally, Mako's first thought was that of Tai. "A airbender? Like Tenzin and his disciples?"

"Trust me. This guy was practically the opposite of a Air Nomad in every possible way. The wounds on the Monsoon thugs match those I found on the soldiers he had lured out into the desert. It's no mistake."

Saikhan grumbled and rubbed a palm down his face. "Great. Perfect. Right as the Avatar's restoration ceremony is coming up, we're dealing with a rogue airbender?"

"But bloodbending can cause those same wounds as well, Lady Kya." Boto interrupted. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as everyone focused on him. "Oh. Uh, you probably don't know my name. Lieutenant Boto."

Mako nearly missed the strange flicker go across Kya's face when she nodded. "A pleasure."

"Well, whatever the case, it just means that we need to bolster security at the arena." Saikhan grumbled. He looked at Lin. "If this was done by a airbender we need to inform Tenzin."

"On it."

"Sir?"

Saikhan looked up at Mako.

"Can't we just question Tahno? I found him at the scene. He has to know something."

"We had to release him."

"What? You can't be serious, he's the only lead we have on whoever did-"

"He also has rights. As much as it pains me to say it, we can't just grab him off the street and pull him in for questioning. Those were the 'good old' days. But that's not how we do things now."

Mako glanced at Boto, who shook his head and sighed.

"Dismissed, boys."

* * *

_Air Temple Island_.

Korra opened and closed her hand, staring at it like it was completely alien to her. Since coming back from the wharf she had tested her bending every minute she could, just to be sure it was really there to stay.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the air above her palm, loosing a grunt as she found the energy behind the wind, using it to sculpt a little ball of air in the palm of her hand. The spinning mass tickled her palm, and held steady for a few seconds before Korra expelled a breath and released it back into the air.

Her airbending was strong as ever. She was expecting it to be like that, as she was only able to unlock its use after Amon took away her bending. The memory of feeling that oily black mass spread inside of her into her very core, and just drain away the vibrant energy contained within made her skin clammy and eyes widen reflexively.

With a snort she closed her eyes, only opening them when she could no longer remember that sensation. She focused on the waves crashing against the cliffs below the balcony. And as always relaxed a little once lost in the constant push and pull of the water.

"I didn't get the chance to ask before, how was your first meeting with the new councilman?"

She blinked and turned around to see Tenzin walking out onto the balcony, his hands clasped behind his back. "Hey. Uh, it was... weird." Korra rubbed her wrists.

Tenzin nodded and moved towards the railing, standing next to her with his gaze looking out over the waves and at the cityscape in the distance.

Korra placed her hands on the railing, drumming her fingers on the smooth orange-painted wood. "He kept asking me about the rebending ceremony. And about my bending being taken by Amon." she said quietly.

Her master narrowed his eyes.

"Tenzin, do you really think what Aang did to me really gave my bending back? For good?" Korra leaned over the railing, resting her chin and gazing into the churning waters below. As good a place as any.

Tenzin glanced at her. "Is something wrong?"

She averted her gaze, her eyes downcast as she began tracing her finger along the grain of the wood. "I had a sparring match with Tai the other day, and for a moment my bending wouldn't work." she began to stammer. "I- I mean, it was could have just been a- a lapse in concentration right? Or maybe I just lost focus or something. Tenzin?"

"I don't know, Korra."

Her face fell.

"But Aang might. Maybe you should meditate? Try to speak to him?"

Slowly, she nodded. Taking a deep breath she offered a weak smile at her master. Inward she felt horrible, thoughts in a endless spin over one single question she had no answer to: What if her own bending failed and she couldn't restore anyone elses? How could she be the Avatar then?

* * *

土


	7. The Gift, the girl, and the Trio

土

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

He couldn't help lingering on what he saw back there, even staring at the crashing waves just below wouldn't shake away those images. It wasn't the first time he had seen something like that while on the job, but something about the way those bodies were cut up and the way they fell screamed all kinds of strange to him.

What got him about it was how clean those wounds were. Still, he tried taking his mind away from the cop stuff by renewing his stares at the waves, mentally keeping track of how many times the churning and tumbling water rose up and down even though he knew it was pretty much impossible to keep an accurate count to begin with, but it did get his mind off of that warehouse.

But not for long.

Kya's story about the rogue airbender, and he had seen of Tenzin and Tai's own airbending during the Equalist Victory Rally and their fight against the Mecha Tanks. He saw how easily their wind projectiles could slice through metal, or skin and bone if a person got caught in the way. He knew Tenzin would never use his abilities to hurt anyone, but Tai? He wasn't so sure.

Something like that happening to a Monsoon operation should have gotten a response by now, and with most of the metalbending cops assigned to watch detail over the ceremony tonight, it would be a perfect chance for them to strike back at whoever killed those men and stole whatever was in that case.

Whoever the guy was, he obviously never thought about the consequences the rest of the city would face. Mako recalled reading a newspaper story detailing the last time the Monsoons flooded the city with blood. And he was glad he hadn't been born yet.

Mako slapped his hand down on a mosquito trying its best to annoy him, sighing as he rubbed a palm down his face just thinking of all the difficulty this would make for the force. And the paperwork the higher-ups would weigh him down with because of it.

A annoyed grunt coming from a familiar voice put the beginnings of a smirk on him, and he chuckled to himself before stepping away from the railing and following it over to the outcropping of rocks nearby. He picked out the little path that wound around the side of the rocks and disappeared underneath a line of thick bushes and short trees. He pushed his way through the leaves, and flicked a twig from his shoulder as he emerged from the otherside onto a rocky ledge with someone sitting near its edge trying to mediate as hard as she could.

"Aurrrgh!" He heard another grunt coming from her. Sympathizing with her problem he laughed loudly, the noise enough to get her to whip around and narrow her eyes for a second, arching a unimpressed eyebrow at him to help get the point across. "This isn't as easy as it looks." She blew air out of her nose and turned away from him, rolling her shoulders and taking in deep breaths.

Mako moved forwards and sat down next to her, tilting his head in amusement at how hard Korra was trying to meditate. With him so close by he doubted it could have been easy for her. "You're absolutely right. Giving hundreds of people their bending back is a walk in the park compared to meditating." He frowned as the glare she leveled at him faded away, replaced with a sigh as her shoulders slumped and she looked at the ground in front of her.

"Mako - I don't know if I _can_ do it again." His head went blank as he searched for something to say to that, something that could comfort her at least a little bit, but not before the gap in his thinking allowed her to glance up at him as if he had already confirmed what she thought he'd say. She dropped her gaze again as her voice lowered. "I just... I don't know what to do, and the city- tonight _hundreds _of people will be counting on me to-"

He placed a hand on her shoulder, enough to stop her from spiraling any further into a panic. "You'll be fine." Relief flowed through him as she calmed down a little, but disappeared just as quickly as he searched for something more concrete to say than those simple words. A image of her eyes blazing with golden energy came to mind, and he knew what to say. "Seeing you restore Commander Beifong's bending was breathtaking, Korra. Understand that. The way you looked, the hope you _gave her_... you can do it again. Have a little faith in yourself." He gently placed his arm over her shoulder and leaned in close. "I'll be there for you."

She shifted a little, responding with a way that by now should be familiar to him. He closed his eyes for a few moments, letting his worries, his problems, his thoughts, letting it all drain away until nothing was left behind but her. When he felt sure it was time he pulled away from her but not too far in case she wanted anything else from him. "Thanks." she whispered gratefully, her voice now more level than it was before.

"At least my pep-talks work on _someone_." His not-quite serious tone made put the beginnings of a smirk on her as she rolled her eyes.

Soon her smirk gradually changed to a somewhat relieved expression as she stared out at the waves below, the only sign that they were there being the sea spray they threw up on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. As she slowly looked away from the sight below and took her gaze upwards at the stars beginning to brilliantly shine down from the sky she sighed with relief. "Everything will be fine."

He frowned a little, thinking that she was saying that more to herself than to him.

"Guys. Ship's pulled in." He twisted around, seeing Tai standing there with hands in his pockets and noticeably looking at the ground and not at them. It was hard not to see the handle with a strip of rough black leather hanging from the pommel of the weapon on the boy's back.

Mako nodded and stood up, waiting as Korra lingered for a few seconds, not moving before nodding to herself and standing as well. She looked at Tai, flashing him a weak smile as she moved past and through the line of bushes to the ramp nearby, disappearing from sight. Without anything to wait for he followed her, not even waiting for Mako as he went into a jog to catch up to them.

* * *

_Pro-Bending Arena._

The lights shined down from their perches, bathing the surrounding water in a golden light as it lapped against the support struts of the platform. Occasionally the water churned a little and waves made their motions as a black-painted speedboat skimmed across the surface, keeping a constant vigilant eye on their patrols around the lower levels of the platform, searching tirelessly for any traces of unrest or criminal activity occurring underneath the bowels of the golden building that served Republic City not just as a sports venue, but also as a constant symbol of peace and stability.

Police airships above roamed the skies, floodlights spilling down from mounts on their underbellies that roamed the perimeter of the platform, lighting up the dark portions that lay next to the buildings walls and bringing a sense of safety and comfort to the crowd slowly moving through the massive front doors of the building and into the cavernous recesses within.

The general feeling in the large and cavernous space was hope, the playing floor of the arena had been fully raised, whereas the outer portions would be lowered for players to fall into the pool of water below now large metal floor sections occupied the space instead, supporting crowds of people eagerly waiting for the smoke covering the stage to disappear, and for their hope to begin again.

Most of the people out on the floor were those who lost their bending to the Equalists, with the affluent and richest of them being situated at the very front on simple benches.

He felt the same way as the people down there and in the stands above, but it wasn't just hope for a brighter future he had right now, it was pride. Pride in how Korra had stepped up to the daunting challenge of giving hope to the city through her role as the Avatar.

Tenzin should have been focusing on how she would be growing into her role as a figure of awe and hope, but honestly all he could focus on was whether she would be extending herself too far trying to help so many at once.

"She can do it, Tenzin. Stop worrying so much." He turned around and saw Lin coming over, decked out in her metal armor with her arms folded across her chest. Over her shoulder he spotted Pok and Wu, no doubt being the reason she had come over here, she held up a hand as if sensing he was going to ask her something. "And if you're going to ask where Pema and the kids are seated, don't worry. Makei has them and the Sato girl near the front."

"Thank you, Lin." A smile broke through his worried features for a few seconds, before he noticed a aide rushing towards him from the hallway nearby.

He sighed and rubbed a palm down his worried face as the aide placed a checkboard in his waiting hand listing the first of those to receive her gift tonight. He looked down the list, seeing that most of them belonged to industrialists or executives, and a few belonging to rich bending families he had the misfortune of meeting during state parties and balls.

These people weren't exactly deserving to be the first to get their bending back. He knew he shouldn't be thinking like this, but they didn't contribute to the city's wellbeing, and if anything they were the kind of benders that non-benders had a problem with.

"I take it your suggestions about the list weren't heard?" He nodded as he looked at each of the names.

But of course the rest of the council didn't listen to his or Shizu's suggestions for the list, instead picking out the names with the most value attached to them.

"Councilman, they're ready for you to begin." As he was taken out of his thoughts he nodded to the aide standing nearby, who bowed and left without any further words, presumably looking forward to the massive amounts of work involved in making sure this night ran smoothly.

The loudness of the crowd outside penetrated the thick curtains hanging in front of him as he flicked a mote of dust off his shoulder and straightened his collar, mentally going through what he would say to the hopeful people standing in the massive space beyond.

Tenzin took a moment to collect himself before reaching a hand to the break in the curtain, pulling it back and stepping into a cloud of stage smoke. As he strode forward he kept a hand hidden underneath his cloak, using small and precise movements to part the smoke to both sides of the stage, leaving a clear line of space from the curtains to the front of the stage where a microphone stand stood, the lights above glinting off the polished brass reciever waiting to be picked up and spoken through.

He ignored it as the smoke began to clear even further, settling down and beginning to slowly seep through the floorboards as the crowd caught their first glimpse of him and went wild.

It only took a second or so for him to go through the movements necessary to make the air around him carry his voice further, and he swept his gaze over the hopeful faces of the crowd, hearing the sound of crying babies and hushed whispers carry through the now quiet space.

"Only five months ago, our city was in danger. Each and every one of us have been affected by the devastation and ruin Amon and his followers inflicted on this city. We weathered this storm and came out stronger for it. Every building damaged by his weapons and every destroyed home run underfoot by his machines we rebuilt." He fell silent for a moment as the whispers among the crowd grew stronger and more frequent, a signal for him to look up with a determined expression. "Those are materials. Those can and have been rebuilt. But for a few of us gathered here tonight he took more than that. He took a part of us away, something that has been with us from the day we were born. Tonight the Avatar shall restore it."

* * *

_Backstage._

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and into her eye, making her blink a few times to get rid of it as she stared into the mirror, leaning over the small table and keeping herself supported by clamping her hands clamped on both sides of the vanity.

Muffled sounds coming from voices outside the door, interspersed by a few sounds of people being pushed back or grumbling, made her heart skip a few beats as she stared into the mirror, seeing a frazzled and completely scared wreck.

She suppressed a shiver as the thought of standing out there and not living up to their expectations overwhelmed her, and she found herself clenching and unclenching her hands as some way to stop the thought from getting any bigger.

"I can do this." she muttered under her breath, trying not to focus on how squeaky and panicky she sounded by focusing on something else. Even picturing Mako didn't do anything to allay her panic, she took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, closing her eyes and thinking of her parents.

For as long as she could she kept her focus on them, finally letting the thought go away as she released her breath and stood still for a few seconds, listening to see if her heart was still skipping any beats.

A loud banging noise on the door startled her, making her eyes go wide and staying like that even as whoever banged on the door seemed to be getting dragged away. She could do this, she could help everyone.

One last clear thought strayed as the noises of the crowd heaving on the closed door grew even louder. Could she?

She looked over at the door as she recognised the familiar voice of someone trying push their way through the crowd. Wiping her brow with a spare handkerchief lying on the table she took a deep breath and moved towards the door, reaching a hand towards the doorknob and gripping it. She ignored the way her hand shook as she turned it, wrenching the door open and catching a glimpse of the crowd outside trying to get past a pair of metalbending officers, a green eyed boy at their head and currently ensnared in one of the guard's wires.

His face lit up at seeing her, and she grabbed onto his collar, quickly yanking him through as the wire unwrapped from his wrist, snaking back through the doorway as she slammed the door shut, leaving her and him alone in the room.

She released her grip on his collar and moved away from him a little, wringing her hands and turning away from him to hide the constant shaking. She opened her mouth to say hello when nothing but a squeak came out, although luckily he didn't seem to catch it.

"Hey." She still didn't turn around, still focusing on stopping the damn _shaking_ her hands seemed to love doing.

"I, uh- sorry. I know he's busy and all, but he would have come to see you if he could." Out of the corner of her eye she saw his shoulders lift up and down in a shrug.

She was silent for a few moments as she found herself glancing sidelong at the mirror, the very minute hints of a smile on her. "Thanks, Bolin." she turned and looked at him, not bothering to hide her shaking hands anymore as a crazy thought entered her head. "I, um, I think I could use some cheering up right about now," She quietly laughed a little. "If... you'd like to?"

Korra saw no hesitation coming from him whatsoever as he strode over, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He hovered for a second as if unsure of what do as she realized why, and gave a nod. She felt his fingers dig in briefly before he took a step forward and wrapped his other arm around her.

She didn't say anything, didn't want to as she rested her cheek on his broad shoulder, closing her eyes and trying to keep a flow of calming thoughts.

A few minutes they stayed like that, until she glanced at her hand and noticed it wasn't shaking anymore. Someone rapped on the door as she gently took a step back from Bolin, seeing the council page poke his head in, a brief look of disapproval surfacing on his scrawny face before changing to a neutral mask. "Avatar Korra, it's time."

She took as many deep breaths as possible, rolling her shoulders and hopping from foot to foot as Bolin stood there, slightly abashed. "I'll be next to Asami. In the front." he whispered quietly, before sticking his thumb up as he moved towards the open door, slipping past the council page and going out into the hallway outside.

* * *

"Hmm, that coat makes him look a little daggy, wouldn't you say dear?" Another variation of the same thing he heard coming from yet another pair or group of gaudily dressed people walking past, amongst mutterings of stuff about bank accounts or the state of their garage sized bedrooms.

"I'm more concerned about what that mutt has been rolling in."

Tai rolled his eyes as he resisted the urge to manipulate the air at floor level and maybe make a few of them stumble and fall. But he released a pent up sigh as he bent down to scratch the back of Kaze's ear, getting a lick from the constantly happy lug in exchange. He probably shouldn't use a little bit of deserving justice on them, since Tenzin would inevitably get blamed for the trouble his student caused. He narrowed his eyes and undid the top buttons on his coat, finding it easier to breathe in the stale air of the hallway. The fabric of the dress shirt he wore felt very strange on his skin, and he made sure that he wouldn't be coerced into wearing one again.

Pema may have bested him this time by getting Kaze to pin him down with the promise of treats in store of the large Spirit-Wolf, but he would make sure that wouldn't happen again. Although she did agree to let him wear the longcoat over it, so he guessed she wasn't _completely _out to get him.

He found himself looking down at the floor, thinking that he could see the faint trace of a scratch put there by a blade. It wasn't too long ago that he was standing there trying to devise a new method to stop his brother's blades from touching him.

That thought he threw away, and switched his gaze over to the open doorway nearby on either side of which stood two armored cops, intently staring ahead or occasionally scanning the hallway, and most focusing on him from time to time to make sure he wasn't going to try something.

Doing something like that was far from his mind, but he guessed it didn't hurt for them to pay attention to the teenager with the sheathed sword on his back.

Tai shifted a little, putting the foot he was resting on the wall down and lifting the other, rolling it about to get rid of the pins and needles feeling he was starting to get.

He needed some air. He pushed away from the wall and straightened, rolling his shoulders as he looked at the two of them. "I'm gonna get some air."

"Commander said we're supposed to keep an eye on you." He sighed as he arched an eyebrow, folding his arms and looking at the young officer.

"Beifong, I suppose? Come on, Hei. I'm just going up to the roof for a few minutes. I'm sure you have better things to do than stare at me the entire night." A wicked gleam surfaced in his eyes as he tilted his head. "Unless that's what you _really want_-"

"Alright fine _go_, but five minutes is the limit, man. Commander'll have my head if she finds out." He smirked as he moved away from the wall, rolling his shoulders as he looked down the hallway, for a moment finding himself back in those corridors seeing the Avatar's first desperate display of airbending.

His smirk tightened a little as he squatted down to Kaze's level, in range for a barrage of licks and nuzzles to be inflicted on his cheeks and nose. "I'll be back, boy, watch these two for me." The large wolf barked and pointed his snout towards the two officers by the door, one of which rolled her eyes at the wide brown eyes.

As he moved down the hallway, hooking a finger under the tie around his neck and tugging it a little loose to get more comfortable he heard a sigh come from one of the pair. "Damn eyes." He heard being muttered, a excited yap coming immediately after.

He turned a corner, spotting a open door leading into one of the staircases that ran both up and down the building's floors. It would have only been a few seconds worth of walking if the hallway wasn't absolutely packed with decadently dressed people, a lot of them caked in massive amounts of makeup. He suppressed a groan as he pushed through them, taking off his coat and slinging it over his shoulder as a precaution to anymore stupid remarks.

It didn't matter to him if holes ran through the entire thing and the sleeves were shredded, he would still wear it.

Someone bumped him, immediately uttering a fake-sounding apology without even looking him in the eye. He muttered one to them as courtesy demanded, but didn't care to stick around to check if they heard or not, nauseating smells of strange perfume assaulted his nostrils, giving him a really big urge to clamp a hand over his nose to keep the smell out while using a small but noisy blast of wind to clear the hallway.

Another bump, this time making him stumble forwards a little with the beginnings of a growl on his features. The growl grew as laughter came after, the source being a group of boys standing huddled around one another, whispering in their haughty accents.

He would have been content to continue on his way if one of them didn't brush against the exterior of the sheath on his back. "My, my. You should be arrested for carrying such a _thing _during a occasion such as this." He stopped moving forward, staying like that as the idea of not wasting his time with the idiot sounded increasingly tempting.

"Oh, aren't you on one of those wanted posters at the station?"

A twitch grew in his eye as he slowly turned, a tight smile only barely being held in place. "I apologize, but we haven't met-"

That annoying laugh cut him off as the idiot, with brown skin and very shiny and perfectly manicured teeth reached a dainty hand forward towards a thread on the shoulder of his coat. "I'm Kerisa, of _course _you've heard of me. The Kerisa Magnate is a world leader in technology."

The urge to challenge that absurd claim took over Tai for a moment, a smirk beginning to surface as he folded his arms and suppressed the growl. "Last I checked, Asami's company is far better than whatever a 'Kerisa Magnate' is." He held himself back from laughing as the idiot flushed red with anger, pointing a finger at him as he began to start moving again.

"Don't mention that non-bender in here! I'll have you thrown out!"

Tai stopped for a moment and turned, reaching a hand up to the handle poking out above his shoulder. The yelps alone nearly made him lose it right there as he lowered his hand to his side and grinned. "Sorry, I'm afraid the Avatar will kick your ass if that happens." Mentioning Korra made him frown for a moment as he saw the position of the hands on the spare watch Tenzin gave him. Damn, the ceremony was about to start!

Ignoring the droning protests of the rich idiot he started to push his way past a rather portly Earth Kingdom man before stumbling over his large and immovable foot, flying headfirst into the shoulder of someone balancing a tray of weird smelling food and drinks on either hand.

She squeaked as the impact spun her around, and she struggled to keep balance on one foot as she stared fearfully at the trays that were about to fly out of her grasp and onto the livid face of that Kerisa guy. He stopped and winced, before turning and throwing his palm towards the falling silver platter, extending his other arm to catch the girl before she could fall onto the ground. The air vibrated underneath the platter, forming into a cushion that caught the first tray and leveled it out, doing the same to the second as well.

He kept close control on the air cushion as the weight of the girl slamming into his arm made him stumble, nearly backing into a loudly protesting old woman. Still keeping his hand outstretch he slowly helped the girl stand back up, absently noting the lovely shade of blue her eyes had.

Tai wasn't sure why he reddened as she looked at him, her hands held out patiently for the platters of food slowly rotating and hanging in the air nearby. Immediately he guided them over to her, and she grabbed them as he couldn't stop gawking like an idiot.

Without warning she leant in towards his ear, her eyes narrowed. "Are you going to apologize!" she practically hissed.

"Uh, sorry, I was in a hurry..." His lame apology did nothing in getting those eyes to stop accusing him. He mentally slapped himself as he realized how much time he had wasted standing here. "Listen, I'm truly sorry, but if you want an apology come to the island!" She opened her mouth to ready another question as he quickly slipped past her, emerging out the other side of the crowd onto the clear stretch of floor just outside the staircase doorway. He laid a hand on the doorframe to stop his passage, glancing back at the girl he nearly took out. "And again sorry about that! I really am! When you get to the island, just ask for Tai!"

* * *

She took a deep breath, hiding the calming movement in front of the hopeful masses.

The cavernous space was completely silent, the air ripe with awe as the only sound that could be remotely heard was the far-off whumps of airship props muffled by the thick walls and glass above their heads.

She made the mistake of glancing up, needing to squint as the light from a powerful floodlight hanging from the ceiling overwhelmed her vision for a moment, leaving her a little dizzy for a few seconds.

Taking a few steps forward which sounded horrendously loud to her ears, she spotted the comforting faces of Asami and Bolin seated in the front row, next to Pema and the kids, all of them wearing encouraging smiles.

Giving a barely perceptible nod to them, she placed her palms against one another and bowed to the crowd, trying to ignore rustling sound the scrunched up paper made in her pocket.

She straightened as a few hushed whispers ran through the crowd, signalling that she should say something soon. She closed her eyes for a few moments, searching within for the words she felt the most attached to. A image of a white mask looming over her as _he_ took her very identity away came to mind, and she knew what to say. "Amon caused pain for a lot of us." Her confident but empathetic words immediately hushed the whispers, giving her the strength to continue with forward with a clear path in mind. "He took families away from each other, broke friends apart, and caused the city horrible suffering. But we came out of that experience stronger for it, despite what was done to us we rebuilt the city, reunited with our families and got on with our lives. Tonight, as your avatar, I give back what was taken from you."

_And from me as well._

All was quiet as she reached a hand into her pocket, bringing out the crumpled and creased sheet of paper and holding it at an angle to the lights above, for a few seconds dumbly staring at the long list of unfamiliar names, which she was told belonged to those most affected by Amon's terror.

But Tenzin told her another thing. They were just the names of rich benders with high influence, fewer in number than the thousands of refugees, immigrants and less well-off benders of Republic City. Reflexively her eyes narrowed, mirroring the thought taking root in her mind. They could wait. Ignoring her shaking hand she took a step towards the edge of the stage, scrunching up the paper and dropping it to the floorboards. "I was given a list of names tonight, but as your Avatar it is my duty to help _everyone_. I want a line of people starting at the edge of the stage, and ending next to me. I'm giving your bending back. Tonight."

The noise was deafening as the crowd erupted in wild cheer, practically running over themselves as they piled into a haphazard line near the stage. She glanced at Tenzin, who gave her a single nod as Lin called out orders to her officers, directing them to keep watch over the milling crowd waiting to get their bending restored. Korra felt a sense of pride at the gob-smacked expression on Councilman Wu's wizened features, not to mention the shade of shock on Pok's face as well, which quickly passed.

She ignored them as the crowd began to thin out into a fairly organized single line ending just in front of her. Korra caught snippets of quiet debate among the front of the line, and after a few seconds many of them parted to let a boy with a dirty beret perched on his head clamber onto the stage. He shuffled towards her nervously, eyes downcast as he stopped.

The Avatar smiled warmly, squatting down to his level and placing a hand on his shoulder, just like her mother or Katara did with her as a child. "Its okay. I won't hurt you. What's your name?"

The child slowly lifted his chin, showing the smudge marks and dirt on his cheeks and chin as he shakily smiled. "L- Lun." He took off his hat, rubbing a hand through his unkempt brown hair in a attempt to neaten it.

"Lun. I'm Korra. Please, turn around." Gently she pushed down on his shoulder so that Lun now knelt, facing away from her. Reaching within her, she found that familiar buzz of energy at her core. Excitement and relief was all that was on her mind at that point. Maybe her bending was still there, still intact.. She tapped into it and a golden glow filled her eyes.

In her mind a chorus of voices, their words distant and echoing but no less powerful, could be heard. One of them grew in strength, filling Korra with a sense of peace and freedom as he spoke. _You can do it, Korra. _

Korra nodded. Feeling a incredible rush of energy flowing across her entire body she extended her thumb and touched the center of the little boy's forehead.

She took a deep breath, and exhaled.

A few seconds later Lun spoke up. "Am- am I warm again?" She stepped back, letting the boy stand as he opened and closed his hands, looking up at her with awe with a newfound light in his eyes. He snapped his fingers experimentally, and a tiny spark appeared above them. At first his laugh was cautious, but as more and more sparks joined the first it turned into genuine happiness. With a breath of wonder he wrapped his arms around her legs, burying his face into the side of her thigh. "Thank you, Korra!" She responded with a smile as he ran off happily, hopping off of the side of the stage and back onto the main platform, into the arms of a crying woman.

He was the first.

The next in line, this time a worn down looking young man with dark bags under his eyes and wearing a dirt covered leather duster, ran a hand through his hair as he stopped in front of her. Wordlessly he turned away from her and knelt on the floor, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as she spotted a pai sho tile on the end of a string tied around his shoulder, painted white and blue.

Korra felt her strength flag for a moment, taking a second to breath in a large gasp of air, not realizing how tiring this was fast becoming. As the young man stood up, a section of the metal stage nearby flexing slightly as he flexed his hand, he smiled earnestly. "Thank you, Avatar. I can continue my duty."

And so it went on, a endless line of faces, some weathered and rugged, others desperate and lonely, others still bewildered and fearful. But the long line of citizens, factory workers, street children and old men and women all held a certain quality in their bearing as they left the stage and melded back into the quiet crowd.

Hope.

"Avatar. How's it going?"

She stirred, resisting the urge to stretch as she recognised the sharply defined features under a covering of stubble and sallow skin. "Tahno?" she whispered before regaining her composure before the audience started guessing.

The smirking pretty boy spread his arms out wide before dropping them back to his sides, the haughty edge of him still somehow alive among the dishevelled hair and sunken eyes. "One and only. Gonna fix me?"

Korra wasn't exactly in the mood for his games, almost ready to collapse behind the determined front she had up. "Hold still." She took a deep breath the same way she did with the countless others as she pressed her thumb against his forehead and laid a palm on his shoulder. He seemed to shudder as her eyes took on a golden hue, although this time much less vibrant than it had been at the start of the ceremony.

It didn't take long for her to direct the flow of energy to the dark maw gnawing at Tahno's spirit, guiding and feeding it into him so that her strength and the knowledge of the past avatars would start up the flow of his chi again.

But as she gasped and her eyes flew open, she realized that she _couldn't_.

It wasn't something so simple as a advanced bloodbending technique that stopped her, it was actually _his spirit rejecting her energy_.

Maybe... but she wasn't certain and she was tired, so very tired, all she wanted to do now was sleep for a few nights and days, utterly exhausted beyond all belief. With downcast eyes she shook her head as he stood up, flicking a bug from his shoulder. "Well. Am I 'fixed', Avatar?"

"Come by the island tomorrow." She whispered, not having the heart to look the proud former-bender in the eye after being forced to deny him something like that.

As she looked at the floor, she spotted a shadowy flicker in the corner of her eye, moving across the lit up glass dome at a fast speed, almost like it wasn't there at all.

* * *

He looked down through the glass, a little awestruck at the line of people stretching from the main platform far below to the figure standing at the front of the stage, the gold glow in her eyes visible even from all the way up here, he didn't realise that so many people had their lives affected by Noatok and even then the ones in that crowd were likely only a fraction of the actual number.

It was...conflicting to say the least whenever the topic of Noatok popped up in his head. The man was a close friend of his dad and had lived with them for three years ever since they found him passed out on the road near their farm, now that he thought about it his dad never really explained just who Noatok was.

But now he knew the truth about Noatok's bloodbending. Now he knew that at some point after the farm burnt down and his family was scattered to the four winds, Noatok definitely made a conscious decision to put that mask on and wage war against benders everywhere. Still, Tai doubted it was because of what happened to his dad that made Noatok turn into Amon.

No. It ran deeper than that.

Korra told him the story Tarrlok had told her and Mako, that both him and Noatok were the sons of Yakone, some bloodbending maniac active way before he was born. It took him a while to accept it, especially when the source was a bloodbender himself that had actively tried to kill him while keeping Korra prisoner in the basement of a lonely shack.

Eventually he was forced to push past his problem and accept the bitter truth that _maybe_ Tarrlok wasn't as monstrous as he appeared to be, or at least had a valid reason for it, even if he still wanted to shove a air sphere up the weasel-snake's nether.

Tai drifted out of those thoughts, not wanting to go any deeper than that in case he remembered the part about him failing as well. He rolled over and looked upwards at the bright twinkling stars studding the night sky, some of them occasionally being blocked by the fat and rounded black outlines of police airships drifting over, some of them occasionally swivelling a floodlight down onto the roof of the arena and running it across the length in search for any suspicious activity.

But there was none of that happening, and even there was he wasn't a part of it.

Looking up at the sky comforted him as it usually did, giving him the chance to let his problems and worries get carried by the wind and disappear for a short while. He supposed his airbender side was partly to blame for that, courtesy of his mom.

A fat droplet of rain splashed onto his cheek, bringing a cold and sudden end to his thoughts. He sighed and sat up, wiping the droplet off with the cuff of his coat as he glanced upwards, noticing that more and more drops kept splashing down with alarming regularity and speed.

He should probably get inside quickly, or explain to Tenzin how he got completely soaked standing there in a hallway.

Yeah, that would go well. Tai stood up and walked across the glass dome towards the open doorway at the corner of the roof, picking up the pace a little as he followed the edging of the roof towards it.

Voices made him stop for a moment, and he kept a ear out as the rain began to bucket down, quickly patting his hair down into a soppy mess that threatened to cover his eyes.

Again he heard them, coming from somewhere on the lower part of the roof tops. He squatted down and gripped the rail edging the roof, swinging himself down and over into the open air, using a cushion of air to soften his landing on the cement below and quieten his impact so the voices wouldn't be alerted.

Instinct prompted him to loosen his sword from the sheath a little as he kept his back to the wall nearby, and crept down its length towards the voices, growing louder and louder in his ears as he neared the corner.

A strange sight met his eyes when he peered around, seeing a trio of three brown-skinned figures, one of them wearing a very thick pale blue greatcoat designed arctic conditions, another wearing a dark leather tunic, and the last a dark greatcoat.

His eyes narrowed at the sight of the waterbenders that tried to kill them at the abandoned village on the mountain. And they narrowed even further when he saw that they had surrounded a grey eyed girl whom he was _very_ familiar with.

Throwing caution to the wind he sprinted around the corner, gathering a ball of air in his palm as he approached the trio from the side, using the shadow of a water tower nearby to stop them from noticing him immediately. Feeling that it was time in his gut, he focused on opening a small 'slit' in the side of the sphere facing the trio, and slowly expanding it as he neared them.

When the one of the psychotic grin on her noticed his approach, he released. The wind inside the sphere rushed out of the enlarged 'slit' as a gale-force stream that slammed into the woman's stomach and sent her tumbling and rolling towards the edge of the roof away from the other two.

His eyes widened at the approach of the incredibly fast ice spike whizzing towards him. He threw himself to the ground just in time for it to shear through where his head was, managing to take a few strands of his hair with it as it shattered on contact with the water tower behind him.

The waterbender wearing the pale blue greatcoat turned towards him, lowering his hand and grinning, showing off white teeth all filed to a sharp point. "Well, long time no see, airbender."

Tai gritted his teeth as he threw a glance at the grey-eyed girl backed up against the wall, a hand reaching for the tanto on her back while the other held onto something wrapped in a rough grey cloth. She gave him a nod and went back to staring at the pair of assassins.

Tonrik held out his palms in a disarming fashion usually meant for showing that someone wasn't a harm. "I see Boto and that cute girl aren't with you. Ditched them have you?"

"I don't need them to take you on." He reached a hand up to the handle poking above his shoulder, the silvery colored blade rasping on the leather as he pulled it out of the sheath, letting the tip dangle towards the ground while keeping a firm grip on the handle.

A condescending laugh answered him as the rain above Tonrik's head formed into a wispy cloud of water vapour, quickly collecting into several spikes of ice with their sharp tips pointed menacingly towards him. "Pity, why don't you run along and let us take the girl without a fuss? Does that not sound more preferable than being skewered to a pulp with blood pouring out?"

Tai didn't say anything as he brought his sword to the front, angling the tip downward as he calculated routes of approach, seeing that in the corner of his eye Yem was doing the same, keeping a close eye on Yureg as she quietly grabbed a silver canister from her belt.

He heard Tonrik sigh despondently as Pendra dragged herself to his side, rage on her features as ice gathered in large spiky clumps on her arms and legs. "I see, so you want the hard way, that's fine by me. Yureg, deal with him quickly, we have a schedule to keep." He narrowed his eyes as the boy with blue eyes nodded, moving towards him with a arm extended and a hand outstretched, a vapor cloud of ice forming into a wickedly curved blade that rested in his palm.

As Yureg flicked his wrist, swiping the blade as Tai danced back, he spotted a silver canister with holes throughout it sailing through the air, end over end as the caps on either end extended with a quiet click.

Tai saw no reaction from Tonrik as it landed in front of him and rolled into the side of his fine leather shoes, a high pitched noise emanating from it and growing in volume as the myriad holes through its surface glowed a bright white and hissed. He shielded his eyes in anticapation of the flash and thickened the air around his ears, his hearing now muffled as the pitch slowly fizzled and died out.

Immediately he returned the air around his ears to its normal density, staring at the flash bomb now encased in a ball of ice and sitting in Tonrik's palm. "Nice try." he grinned, showing those pointed teeth as he dashed forwards and threw his arms out, the swarm of ice missiles above his head flinging themselves towards Yem en masse.

She cursed as she twisted around the first few then threw herself forwards, her tanto in hand as one of the spikes lodged itself in her shoulder, she screamed as she tumbled to the ground, rolling out of the way of the other spikes in desperation.

Tai went to her side when the deadly tip of Yureg's ice sword swung towards him from the side, forcing him to dodge back and retaliate, the flat of his blade being presented towards the length of ice. His blade rang as the sword slammed into the flat, and he gritted his teeth as Yureg pushed him back.

Flicking his wrist and twisting his blade away he managed to use Yureg's momentum against him, forcing his blade to slide down the length of his which made his opponent stumble. Tai spun around and brought his in a horizontal sweep, batting the ice sword out of Yureg's grasp and sending it spinning away and sliding along the wet cement out of his reach.

He had a grin on him for a second before he felt his footing slip, and a leg crashing into his thigh, sweeping him up into the air. As he hung there his eyes widened at the clouds of vapor gathering in Yureg's fists, which formed into handles beginning to grow wickedly curved blades.

Tai pointed a open palm at the ground below, using a push of air to lift himself above the twin knives slashing towards him and over the head of the water triber. He twisted around and splayed a hand down towards the assassin, a stream of air slamming into the boy's chest, sending him tumbling towards the edge of the roof with a grunt.

A sharp cry made him look over to where Yem was, seeing her twisted into a crumpled heap and holding onto the object as tightly as possible. Tonrik stood over her with a shark like smile for a few seconds, before swinging a ice encased fist into her exposed stomach and sending the girl into convulsions as the object tumbled from her grasp onto the cement, all his to take.

Tai ran towards him with sword out and swinging, only for a torrent of water to slam into his side and send him crashing into the wall nearby, his shoulder nearly dislocated from the impact. His vision swam as Tonrik grinned, pointing at him. "Yureg."

His blood crawled as Yureg moved towards him with hands raised and fingers half-clenched, moving in jerking and abrupt movements as a look of apology settled on his features. Tai shivered as his blood stopped moving for a second as he was thrown back into the nearby wall once more. Yureg lowered his hands and moved away from the pair of them, picking up speed as he neared the edge of the roof and jumped off, disappearing along with Pendra and Tonrik into the night air.

Yem stirred, coughing and sputtering as she dragged herself back to the wall, using it as a support to sit upright while gulping in large amounts of air. She glanced at Tai and managed to stand on her two feet, doubling over and keeping a hand clamped on her stomach as she stopped over his groaning frame. Voices carried from the edge of the roof as a spotlight shined down on the two of them, coming from a airship overhead.

Wires punched into the cement around them as she swore softly, biting down on a gasp as she bent down and extended a hand towards them. "You need to get out of here." she hissed as he lifted his head, coughing as he took her hand and stood up, breathing heavily as he spotted figures running towards them, some of them with arms raised and wires ready.

"Before I get _dogpiled_-" he stopped and leaned forwards, gasping in massive amounts of air before wiping his mouth and glancing up at her. -Will you tell me what that was about?!"

As a large amount of bodies slammed into him, and his head slammed down painfully on the cement bringing stars into his vision, he heard a small laugh and a small voice muffled by shouting men and women. "I'll have to tell you later."

* * *

土


	8. The Questions, the Spark, and the Gift

土

* * *

_Police Headquarters._

_"_Explain. _Now._" She glared at him, arms folded as she sat on the edge of the desk, throwing dark glances at the cuffed boy and girl standing off to the side, flanked by Nisha and Hei respectively.

He sighed, glancing with a look of concern at his student before looking back at Lin. "I have no idea, Lin. As I've said before." He turned towards Tai, who stared at the floor. "Can you explain? Who is this young woman?" He indicated to the girl, who kept completely silent as she glanced at his student, and at the Avatar leaning on the doorframe and keeping her gaze fixed on the ceiling.

Tai looked up from the floor, avoiding the familiar urge to look at Korra as he studied the faces in the room, seeing Mako's confused expression, the concern etched on Tenzin, and the anger and frustration on Lin. He looked at the girl. "Yem?"

She didn't answer him immediately, still looking at the floor for a few seconds before lifting her head with a scowl on. "It can't leave this room." She muttered, locking eyes with everyone in the room, even managing to stare down Lin.

Lin grunted and nodded, not saying or doing anything any further to show she would do so. Tenzin inclined his head as Korra and Mako nodded their assent.

Yem took a long hard look at all of them before reaching a hand towards the neckline of the dark leather suit she wore, which Tai recognised as the cut-down equalist uniform she had worn while swinging a tanto at him in the sewers during Amon's takeover. She brought something out for them all to see, the white and blue paint on the little wooden square plain to the eye as it hung from a simple length of knotted leather.

"Great, want to explain what the Order's up to in _my _city?" Lin muttered, leaning back on the desk as she folded her arms again and gave the little square a dark look.

Korra moved closer towards Yem, a little cautious of the enigmatic girl although her curiosity managed to get the better of her. "Wait, you're with the White Lotus?" she forgot to disguise the awe in her tone, which got a smirk from Yem.

"Age is not an obstacle for them. Besides…" She looked away from the group, obviously reluctant to reveal anything further. But that notion was swept away with a determined nod, and she looked at all of them. "Sh- _They_ saved my life. I owe it to them." She avoided the curious look coming from Tai, deeming that he should be the last to know.

Lin pinched the bridge of her nose as she pushed away from the desk and moved towards the girl. "Save the life story and tell me what you were _doing_."

"Very well." Tai watched Yem close her fingers around the lotus tile, as if seeing permission from it. "The order tasked me to retrieve something of great value from the Red Monsoon's, who had stolen it from them many years before." She scanned all of them in turn, in particular focusing on the unimpressed look coming from the Commander.

"I'm running out of patience, what was it you needed to get-" The door slammed open, cutting her off as an officer appeared in the doorway and snapped off a quick salute to Makei, who returned it as he glanced at Nisha and Hei, moving forward and nodding at the out-of-breath young man. "Gummi, what is it?"

"Chief Saikhan wants you both in his office right away, and officer Mako as well." The young man gasped in large amounts of air as Makei nodded his assent.

"We'll be there right away." He moved towards the desk, nudging Lin's shoulder. "Nisha and Hei will stay here to give us the report. Let's go, Lin." He suppressed a sigh as she stayed perched on the desk, eyes still on the grey-eyed girl. "Lin."

She blinked and stood up, nodding at him before extending a finger at Tenzin. "When I get back, you're telling me _everything_. Got it?"

"As you wish, Lin." She suppressed a frustrated grunt as she moved around the side of the desk and towards the open door where Makei waited, joining him and exiting the room.

Mako turned to Korra, stepping in and wrapping her in a quick embrace. "I'll see you soon." he murmured in her ear, hating that he didn't have enough time to hear her answer. He tore himself away from her and stepped through the doorway, exiting the room.

"If you would allow it, I would like to continue this in a less public area." Yem glanced at Tai, who then looked at Tenzin.

* * *

He stroked his beard for a few moments as he stared at the glass window looking into a room with a single table and two chairs in the middle. "Follow me." He adjusted the clasp on his half-cloak and walked over to the open door, disappearing outside.

Tai tried his luck and gave Korra an apologetic look but frowned when she didn't react at all, already on Tenzin's heels. "Great." he muttered to himself, following Yem into the hallway and through the open door next to the one they came out of.

His master closed the door behind him, flashes of disappointment showing through as he stood by the door rigidly and continued to stroke his beard. The boy kept his gaze glued to the floor as he moved towards the metal table in the middle of the room, focusing on sitting on one of the empty chairs and not that he had made a mistake even _trying _to help Yem.

Before he could sit down Korra beat him to it, an unreadable look on her as she sat down, resting her elbows on the table as she laced her fingers together, shooting a look at him to back off.

He held up his hands and moved away immediately, seeing a spot on the wall nearby he could lean against that offered a view of the room. He watched as Yem took the seat on the opposite side from Korra, leaning back in it as she tugged on the grey scarf around her neck, pulling it free and placing it on the table in front of her.

"What would you like to know, Avatar?"

Korra's eyes narrowed as her mind raced, slogging through the long list of people she knew were with the White Lotus. A lot of them were at least twice her age and had instructed her at some point and in some subject, mainly the ones she slept through while living in the compound. She had guessed that none of them were like the girl sitting across from her. "How do you know him?" She jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the airbending boy, who shifted uncomfortably at her action.

The girl gave her a small little smile as she nodded. "I come from the same village. As a child I played with him and his brother. Who I guess you already know."

Thoughts of the black sabres ran through her and forced a shiver down her spine, she felt the urge to clamp a hand over her shoulder and feel for the jagged gash that nearly ended her life. She calmed herself down, remembering that there was only a faint scar there now. "Yeah, I know him." She looked to the side and fixed her gaze on the wall for a few seconds, before looking back at the enigmatic girl. "He's a brute." she muttered.

"Take that back." She narrowed her eyes and turned in the seat, seeing a scowl on Tai and his hands clenched.

"No. He isn't." She blinked a few times as she turned back around, hearing a wistful tone and a strange look in Yem's soft grey eyes. "I... I apologize for getting off of the main reason I'm here."

Out of the corner of her eye Tenzin moved closer to the table, looking down at her. "What is your mission?"

The room was silent as she looked around the room, settling on Tai or more importantly, the black handle protuding above his shoulder. "Tai. Can you please draw your sword?" A hint of surprise showed on him as he stepped off of the wall, glancing at Tenzin for a couple of seconds for permission to do so. His master nodded, and the boy moved towards the table and with the rasp of metal on leather, his sword was in hand, the side of the blade with the engraved characters facing upwards and catching the light. "What type of sword is it?"

He arched a eyebrow as he looked at Yem, wondering why she would ask something like that. She should have known already, she'd known him and his family since childhood. He shrugged and obliged her. "Its just a Jian. Simple, double edged. Easy to get from any old corner store."

"Wrong. That is a tuning blade. Do you remember the stories your mother told us about them?" He grimaced at the mention of his long deceased mother, although he was curious at the strange movement Yem made, as if trying to avert looking into his eyes.

"Yeah. They're weapons that can augment the bending of the person using them. Mom-" he stopped himself, some unpleasant thoughts coming up before he banished them and continued. "-Mom said they were made by the nomads before they settled in the mountains and built the temples. Built by benders for benders."

She nodded. "Yes, that's correct. But not quite there. As incredibly rare as they are, several of them were...procured... by Fire Lord Sozin's soldiers during the-" She looked at Tenzin for a few moments, before hanging her head. "-During the genocides." Her voice went small, and Tenzin nodded stiffly. But she looked back up, focusing on Korra's slightly confused expression. "His grandson, Fire Lord Ozai, aimed to outfit his guard with them during his short reign as Phoenix King. From there, the Dai Li managed to secret away a fair number through expeditions of the ruined temples. The ones we know of have been secured by the Order or collected by enthusiasts."

"So... what's so important about getting the sword from the Monsoons?" Korra leaned forward, managing to catch the first word of the inscription on Tai's blade. _Darkest_.

"These swords have passed through many hands and been used for many goals throughout history. They've been used for revenge, for glory, for protection, for everything. Some say they can cut through any material before them or sense the presence of malevolent spirits and steal their essence. Avatar, the Monsoons are an entire _cabal_ of bloodbenders. It is the opinion of my handler that they mean to use the sword in a ritual, but for what purpose or on _who_... I cannot say. I apologize." She rested her chin on her knuckles as she stared at the surface of the table, having said what she needed to say, nothing further or Tai would start asking questions.

"Yem, if I may have a word with you outside?" Tenzin looked straight at the girl, who nodded, standing up and moving past him and out into the hallway. As he turned he stopped and laid a hand on the doorframe, looking at both of his students. "Wait here." He nodded at them both and disappeared, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

"A tuning blade. Huh." He muttered, tracing the channel down the middle of the blade with this fingertip. An idea came to him, and he took a deep breath, opening and looking at his palm for a second before hovering it over where the blade met the hilt. He wiggled his fingers, creating a softly humming mass of air under his palm. Focusing as much as possible he slowly moved his hand over the silvery metal, his keen eyes narrowing as the air around the metal began to vibrate and hum.

"So she's the 'equalist' from the tunnel."

He arched an eyebrow as he looked up, his concentration broken as the air stopped vibrating around the blade. "Um, yeah."

"I'm sorry." He frowned as she heaved a sigh, fixing him with a look full of apology. "He's your brother and I shouldn't have said that." He didn't say anything, thinking that she was kind of in the right for thinking that about Tarrin. He _was _a bit of a brute at the time. Tai was about to speak up when she chuckled, more to herself than to him. "I'm from the Water Tribe, family means something there, and..."

"No. It's okay." She looked up at him with an uneasy smirk for, her gaze lingering before she looked back down at the table, scratching at a nick with her finger. "During Noatok's rally... I think I got through to him." Thoughts of that dark storage area came to mind along with his older brother's conflicted features. That was definitely something he did not want to repeat again.

"So why isn't he here now?" He frowned and started a scrutiny of the floor at Korra's quiet question for a few moments.

"Five years spent thinking your brother killed your family doesn't go away so easily." As he looked at her, an ironic thought came to mind which made him laugh bitterly. "I think that's something that can be said for me as well."

He didn't like seeing the look of sympathy coming from her. The doorknob rattled for a few seconds before turning fully, letting the door swing open to admit Tenzin and Yem through. He stepped back from the table to let her through, slightly puzzled at the apologetic looks she kept throwing his way. "So this stuff about the Monsoons - sounds like you could use a hand, Yem."

"Yes, I was just discussing that with councilman Tenzin." She nodded as she looked at the master airbender, who clasped his hands behind his back and nodded in turn.

"Tai, I wouldn't be asking this normally, the Monsoons are very dangerous criminals and-" He stopped himself as his student straightened and looked him in the eye.

"I will. I have a sparring match with Mako soon, after that I'll be free for whatever you need of me." He thought about bringing Kaze along with him, being that the Spirit-wolf's keen nose could come in handy in those dark tunnels.

"Just... be careful, Tai." Tenzin stroked his beard, unable to shake a feeling of concern for his student as he turned to Korra. "We'll meet back here tomorrow for the raid, but if you'd like to come with me now to coordinate with command-" He glanced at the apologetic look forming on her.

"Actually, I'm doing something with Mako tonight so I'd like to head home now, but I'll be here tomorrow morning. If that's okay with you?" She wrung her hands as she looked at them both, swinging her gaze from him to Yem and occasionally to Tai.

"Alright. But Avatar, keep an eye out for Tahno. He might know where the Monsoons are hiding and it would help us greatly if you could get the information from him."

"I promised I would restore his bending, so I'll ask him then." She fell silent, having nothing more to say.

"Very well. Tai, if you'll come with me to discuss a plan with Lin and Makei." He moved forward and placed a hand on Korra's shoulder. "See you at home."

She nodded, standing up from the chair and walking towards the door. She stopped and punched Tai on the shoulder. Among his protests she chuckled. "Don't do anything _stupid_, okay?" Amidst the boy's grumbling she laid a hand on the doorknob, turning it for a few seconds before stopping and looking at the girl still sitting at the table. "Its fine if you call me Korra."

"Avatar Korra?" She blinked twice at the new slightly timid voice, turning to see one of Lin's officers standing in the doorway. "There's a prisoner request for you. He's waiting in room two."

"Wha- who's asking for me?" Thoughts ran through her hand, some of them with a touch of concern about who it could be.

"He's... I'm sorry, but its better if you see for yourself." The young officer answered with a hint of apology, moving a few steps back from the doorway to give her enough space to move through.

"Um... okay." She looked back at Yem, who was now staring down at the table, making it impossible for her to guess what she was thinking. "Will you-"

"I'll be fine here. Councilman Tenzin will return shortly." The girl offered a very faint smile, which went surprisingly far in getting rid of Korra's concerns.

Korra nodded and moved away, walking towards the door and the waiting officer, who looked familiar as she thought she could remember him from someplace. A image of a stammering young man in a crowd of armored men and women came to mind, and with it a little smirk. "Hei, right?"

"Um, yeah." He glanced at her very cautiously, smiling before looking away from her and putting his focus to providing a clear path to the door nearby.

The smirk disappeared as her hands closed on the doorknob, a troubling sense that whoever was behind here was not a friend. Pushing all thoughts of doubt from her mind and focusing on curiosity, she pushed the door open, seeing the face of the man seated at the table in the center of the room, it made her hesitate.

"Avatar." His unmistakable voice brought to mind a grim white mask.

* * *

"So, now we know that the Monsoons are involved in this, Chief what do we do-"

He cut himself off as he heard the grunt of frustration coming from the man sitting behind the simply made desk, running a palm down his face in frustration. "That's the problem Lieutenant, the Monsoons are unpredictable, we can't just charge down there and get back what they stole." Saikhan glanced at his partner with a frown. "Officer Mako, before Tahno was released did you get anything out of him about who murdered those thugs?"

"Not much. He just kept... muttering something about 'deathly grey'." He looked at Boto and Saikhan for a few seconds before continuing. "While I was at the scene I found a room with an empty case inside, fits the shape of the object that thief at the arena was holding."

"The White Lotus girl is in room one, Tenzin and Avatar Korra are trying to get some info out of her." Lin added, her arms folded as she leaned against the wall along a cabinet. She heaved a sigh, feeling frustrated that their only lead on the unknown killer was a White Lotus agent, every time she ran into one they were at best enigmatic and confusing, which now that she thought about it, meant that Tenzin was _perfect _for understanding her motives. She just wanted her out of the city. "Unfortunately for us, she's our only lead. Its either that or we keep our ears to the street for any scraps of info."

After a few moments of thinking Saikhan nodded, glancing at Makei. "Commander, I want patrols doubled over Red Monsoon hideouts aboveground, in the meantime look into the armor enhancements Keigo has recently tinkered with. He's absolutely giddy in wanting to field test them." Next his gaze went over to Lin. "I want you to coordinate with this agent-" amidst the barely concealed groan coming from her he nearly smirked. "-Get as much information from her as possible, and make sure she doesn't overstay her welcome."

Boto stepped forward, feet together as he glanced at Mako. "And us, sir?"

He looked both of them in the eye. "For now, just keep an eye on the streets you two." He noticed the door to the room opening, watching as Tenzin and his student, that kid with the sword, walked in. "Know why she's here, Councilman?"

"There's a possibility that the Red Monsoons have taken a tune blade from the White Lotus. The order tasked her to retrieve it." Tenzin surveyed the room as Tai settled by the door, leaning against it as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh boy." Makei muttered, thoughts of a old case that ended badly running through his head. "That's just _fantastic_."

"That's the polite way of describing it. We can't let Rorik or his cultists hold onto it." The master airbender had already seen the kind of body count someone armed with that kind of weapon could make. Especially someone who had once been Yakone's right hand man.

"We need to be careful about this, any move we make is one they could be expecting." Lin sighed as she looked at the floor. "We have to wait for Rorik to make the first move."

Her words hung over the room, only silence coming after as everyone went into their own thoughts to think up ways and plans to deal with a entire cabal of bloodbenders.

"Well. We have a plan, we should stick to it." He nodded at all of them in turn, sighing as he rubbed his temples. "Dismissed, everyone."

They all filed out of there, with Mako stopping by the doorframe as Lin placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment, before moving towards Tenzin nearby. "Tai. You still up for that training session?"

He fixated straight on the boy, who wiped the look of confusion off his face and nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

"You alright with doing this?" She nearly jumped at hearing the woman's confident tones, seeing Lin moving to her side, arms folded over her chest as her gaze bored through the one-way glass into the deflated looking man sitting at the table in the all metal room. Even now, she still had nightmares of that dank place, chained by metal that had felt so _foreign _and _confusing_ to her. Deep breaths usually stopped her from dwelling on that subject for too long.

"I..." Korra didn't like how she had just stood there with her hand on the doorknob, unable to tear her gaze away from the slight man and his cold blue eyes. She should have been over this months ago. She took a deep breath and looked at Lin. "Yeah." A thought entered her as her voice went to a whisper. "Has he been here the entire time?"

"It's only a few hours before the end of his sentence. Make it quick, not long until he's released." Korra glanced at Lin, nodding once before taking a deep breath as she stared at the lone man sitting on the other side of the window. The man had attacked her, had been her enemy, had shown no mercy to her or her friends and yet...  
She held no grudge.

She suppressed a short chuckle. Maybe Tenzin was rubbing off on her. She quietened down as she wrapped her hand around the door knob, slowly she twisted and pulled it towards her, hearing a slight squeak in the thin metal as it rubbed against the doorframe.

"You got my message." She whipped her head up, taken out of her thoughts by the softly-spoken words. He looked so different without that mask or those kali sticks, he looked so _small_.

Korra's throat went dry and her voice refused to work. She settled for a curt nod as she moved towards the empty chair in front of him. It was absolutely deafening, the silence, and she found that it was getting unbearable for her to let it continue, she sat up straight, eyes boring into a point on the wall behind the lieutena- _prisoner_.

After a few seconds of increasingly unbearable silence, he spoke again. Bitter and hard-edged. "Is he dead?"

"Wha-"

"Is. He. Dead, Avatar?"

She found her voice escaped her again, and flashes of standing before the pit with Tenzin and Tai, watching them dredge up the smashed remains of a black-painted speedboat came to her. She couldn't her bring herself to nod or shake, so she shrugged. "Still investigating." It felt like a lifetime had passed since she'd seen it rather than a few days.

The man nodded, his eyes incredibly calm as they bored into her, questioning and piercing. The hard edge was still there, and she found that no matter how much she wanted to look away, she couldn't. It was like being trapped in front of an oncoming blizzard.

The noise startled her, when an utterly devastated sigh rose from the man, and his shoulders sagged. "I would have followed him anywhere." he said in a quiet whisper. She thought that if she were in his place, she would be bawling, but none of the sort came from him.

"Um. If it helps I-" She cut herself off at the bitter glare coming from the man, her throat going dry instantly.

"I don't need your pity. He's gone." The former lieutenant, a man who had neither hesitated to try to hurt her or her friends, a man who had served one of the greatest threats the city had ever faced, fell silent with a blank look on him.

She realized she was looking at a _broken man_. "I believed in him, you know." She looked up at the barely audible words coming from him, closer to whispers than real speaking. "I went through so much with him, I was constantly at his side through it all. And _look _at where it got me."

Something in those quiet words sparked a flame in her, she wasn't going to just sit here and watch while the man just _shriveled_ away! "Then do something about it." She whispered, making him look up at the strange dangerous tone coming from her. Her fists clenched as she fixed him with a look that dared him too shirk away. "You've still got your life, you still have a voice. _Use it_."

With that she pushed away from the table, eyes firmly on the door as she moved forwards and grasped the doorknob, pulling it open and stepping into the busy hallway.

She wasn't going to let _him_ ruin any more lives.

* * *

"How _electrifying._"

"Stop."

"Puts my hairs on _end_."

"Seriously-"

"_Shocking _to hear it."

"Oka-"

"_Striking_."

"Ehhh." He pinched the bridge of his nose in barely contained frustration, of a type that would result in someone being _burnt to ashes_ if he didn't stop with the puns. "Tai. This is serious."

A smirk answered him. "What have ya got, Teach?"

He placed a hand on his hip and sighed, relieved that he managed to abate the storm of puns- great now he was doing it as well. He shook his head and looked up at the roof high above for a moment, wondering why he ever agreed to this. "Okay, are you finished?" As the boy opened his mouth to say something he realised what was about to come and moved to stop it. "Good." He paced back and forth for a few moments as he pointed at his 'student'. "Lightningbending. What do you know?"

"I can blast lightning from my fingertips. _What else do I need to know?_" The boy answered readily, obviously concerned with one small fact and little else.

"How about how to stop from frying yourself instead of what you're pointing at?" He stopped pacing, getting a little fed up with the way Tai was acting. "Harnessing this kind of power takes focus and control, otherwise you'll only hurt yourself and others around you. Do you want that?" He left the question hanging as he looked at the teenager, seriously hoping this was just some little game he was pulling.

"No. That was the first thing I learned about firebending." Tai's sudden quiet tones surprised him, but he kept on a straight face, simply nodding in turn.

"Same with me." He shook his head, focusing on topics and not the thoughts threatening to drag him into dark places. "Since you can airbend, I'm assuming breath control is something you're good at?" A nod answered him. "Alright. This was how my mother taught me about harnessing lightning." Once again thoughts about what he had lost came up, old thoughts but they were still fresh to him. "With the old way you had to empty your mind of all troubles and emotions while separating the yin and yang energies within."

"The old way sounds complicated." Tai muttered, getting a nod from Mako.

"It was. This is the way my mother taught me. You have to picture yourself as a single mass of energy, grounded yet still able to move. Use the fire inside you to fuel it all to a single source. And from there..."

Tai watched as a spark of blue jerked into existence above the firebender's extended index finger, spasming and roiling as he moved his arm, leaving a growing trail of sparks through the air before stopping with it pointed at a mannequin standing at the other end of the deserted room, a drawn-on grin on its wooden features despite the fact that it was about to get obliterated. He saw the firebender breathe in deeply for a moment, closing his eyes as the sparks on his finger danced in larger and larger quantities until the room was lit up by the blue hued brilliance.

Another deep breath and Mako whipped his arm forwards, keeping his extended finger level as he pointed it straight at the smiling mannequin. The smile burned away with a flash of light as a bolt arced from his fingertip to the mannequin, punching into the wood and blasting it apart. "That's how its done."

He rolled his shoulder, shaking his hand to stop a cramp from forming as he turned, welcoming the gobsmacked look that would surely be looking back at him. Although the silence should have already been an indicator to the obvious, so either way he knew what the other boy was thinking.

"...I'll stop with the puns. That was _mildly _impressive." Tai quickly wiped the gobsmacked look off of his face and stuffed down the feeling that he was way out of his league when it came to firebending.

Mako smirked as he held up his hands to ward off the unspoken praise. "All you need is hard work... and a good teacher." Briefly his thoughts flickered to his mother, and the lessons she taught in the backyard and the neighborhood dojo. To stop them from filling his mind he focused on Korra, and the good times they always shared together.

Which made him realize it had been way too long since they had been out together. "So, I think we'll end it there for today."

"She'll probably be at the island by now, ferry should still be waiting." Tai's words were mechanical, and he was sure the other boy glanced at him with a strange look for a moment before nodding.

"You're heading back there right? Can you tell her to meet me at Narook's-"

"Actually, I'll be going to Narook's to grab a bite." He really didn't want to play messenger for Mako, even though the guy was being semi friendly for once.

"Oh." Mako didn't push, not in the mood for an argument with him or anyone for that matter. He cleared his throat. "I'll see you tomorrow for another session then."

Tai nodded, thoughts somewhere else as he started to move towards the door. "Yeah." With nothing more to say, he quickly turned and headed out into the hallway, glad to be out of there, although a little confused about why he decided that was the perfect time to act like a jackass.

Being wrapped up in that topic stopped him from thinking about the...confusion...he had about her. Yeah, that always lasted.

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

Jinora always liked watching the sunset, at this time of the evening it never failed in showing her a brilliant lightshow using the water as a medium, with the warm pink and orange clouds overhead acting as a frame. It was quite possibly the only thing in the world that rivaled the description of a far away land in the current book she was reading.

The books of the Fire Nation had always been among her favorites. The epic of Houyi that took her to the hidden isles and stone-decked cities of the ancient Sun Warriors, contained in a book so large she sometimes used it as a step to reach up to the top of her wardrobe to find something that Ikki somehow left up there. Or the recount of the Fire Nation's unification set in the aftermath of the First Fire Lord's desperate defense of the Agni caldera, against a joint host of ten thousand firebenders marching against him and his sages.

They were her definite favorites. But the one she kept reading over and over was about her grandfather, and how he and his friends helped rebuild the world.

She flipped the page, liking the familiar feel of the paper touching her fingers as she peered at an image of her uncle Sokka, grinning inanely as he held her grandpa in a headlock, rubbing his knuckles on the dome of his head. She giggled at the sight, remembering how he did the same to her dad as well. As what always happened whenever she read anything involving her late grandfather, a pang of sadness hit her with the constant reminder that she had never even met the man.

The sound of someone approaching intruded on her memories, she peered over the top edge of the open pages, seeing Korra reaching the top of the pier ramp at a jog and continue towards her.

Naga's body rumbled a little, and out of the corner of her eye, Jinora saw her head lift up and her mouth open, revealing a line of sharp canines for a brief instant as an almighty sneeze came from her.

Jinora shifted a little on the rock to ease her comfort as she came to a stop nearby, smiling. "Hey, Jin." Korra moved towards Naga, scratching a spot behind her ears she knew the polar-bear dog would love.

"Hey." She peered over the older girl's shoulder to check if anyone else was coming up the path, looking for signs of a red cloak or a black longcoat and finding neither of them. "Wheres Tai and dad?" A far off yap answered her before Korra could, and she forgot how saying his master's name out loud always attracted Kaze to whoever said it.

She watched a few pebbles on the ground shaking slightly as a large grey mass of fur barreled out of the entrance to the dormitories above them, thundering down the steps as a bald child and a wild haired man chased him down it, the gap between them widening rapidly.

Kaze yapped again, and Jinora felt the urge to hold the book over her head for cover as he leapt and twisted to the side, yapping happily with his tongue trailing as he slammed into Korra, knocking her to the ground and launching a barrage of licks on her face. "Hey to you as well Kaze!"

Korra managed to snake her fingers underneath the wolf's sides without him knowing. As licks continued to rain down on her she managed to lift him off of her, rolling him over, Kaze took this to mean it was time for a belly rub and stayed like that as his tongue lolled about. She rolled her eyes and obliged the large wolf, giving him a generous scratch that he absolutely _loved_ and enjoyed immensely. Soon he started kicking his leg out, accidentally catching Naga on the side of the snout several times.

The Polar-bear dog's eyes flitted open, swivelling towards the Spirit-wolf as the culprit that just woke her. Slowly her maw opened as she yawned and growled at the same time. Kaze rolled over and stood up and padded over in front of her, sitting on his haunches as he whined. His begging for forgiveness seemed to work as Naga closed her eyes again, just as Kaze hopped on top of her back and curled around himself, quickly falling asleep as well.

"I've got to go washup for tonight. Can you keep an eye out for Mako, Jin?" Korra rubbed her cheek, shaking away a few flecks of spittle from where the licks had landed the most. She grinned as Jinora nodded, nose deep in her book.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched her stop to rub Naga's snout before jogging up the steps to the dormitories. Jinora went back to her reading, a little giddy that she could finally find out _what happened to Zuko's mom_.

"Excuse me, can you pass on a message?" A twitch entered her eye for a moment as she looked up over the top of the pages, seeing a brown-skinned boy, definitely in his late teens, standing there a little uncertainly as he looked around himself with an awestruck expression. "I work with officer Mako on the police force, he wanted me to give a message to the Avatar?"

Suppressing a frustrated sigh she closed the book, resolving to make sure she would be able to finish it someday. "Okay, what is it?" She held up a hand in apology for a moment, seeing the frown coming from him. "What do you want me to do?"

"Something came up at the station so he won't be free tonight. He's sorry." The boy waited patiently, looking a little agitated at the same time. She thought that was a little odd, bu didn't say anything.

"Okay, I'll tell her. Thank you." The boy nodded and quickly turned away from her.

Yureg's steps were a little reluctant, but he had to report back. Even if it meant going back to that dark and dank place.

* * *

_Narook's Noodlery._

For a restaurant the place sure was hard to _find_.

He kept his hands in his pockets as he walked down the footpath, noting how dark it got in this part of town. High rise buildings soared up on either side of the street, some of their windows boarded with planks and nails, others glowing with a warm light coming from the room within, usually with a line of clothes stretched from them to the windowsill on the opposite side.

Most the people in this part of town were from the water tribes, so he guessed the stares being thrown his way were only natural. And he did have a sword on his back as well, that wasn't helping things.

But he didn't care. He turned the corner into a little alleyway, practically deserted apart from a dog scratching itself next to a huge dumpster. He spied a green door halfway down, recognizing it as the entrance to the little restaurant.

As he walked past one of the pair of lanterns sitting on either side of the green slide, he focused on the flame he could just see inside the warm orange glow contained by a glass cylinder. He waved his fingers to try to manipulate the flame within without it going out, as Mako suggested he should do when possible.

Concentrating on the flame, all of his thoughts drained away until it was the only thing occupying his mind. With that he found that he was able to precisely control which direction the flames pointed towards, and he nearly chuckled watching the flame inside bend to the left and right, he even managed to make it twist around itself for a moment, before he had to release before it went out.

He decided to do something a little larger. He directed the warm rush of energy towards his index finger and watched as the little flame grew larger, a tinge of blue starting to appear on the outer wisps, vanishing as soon as it appeared when he began to lose control.

Tai gasped in surprise as the flames billowed outwards violently, shattering all four sides of the lantern's glass casing in the process. He looked around to see if anyone saw that, before quickly lighting a small flame in the palm of his hand and relighting the now naked gas receiver of the lantern.

Putting what happened out of mind he whistled a jaunty tune as he slid open the green door, stepping through and closing it behind him. Ignoring the suspicious looks of Narook standing behind the main bar, his gaze settled on the blue-eyed girl occupying one of the stools lining the main counter. "Eh? Korra?" He moved forwards, wondering what she was doing here as he took the seat next to her.

"Isn't Mako waiting for you?" He ventured, no longer able to stand the silence between them.

"Tell him his brother owes me a tab." Tai glanced over at Narook wiping the inside of a glass mug with a cloth nearby before moving out of sight. He nodded and went back to looking at Korra, who was leaning forward over the counter, her face hidden from view as she shook her head slowly.

Immediately his thoughts went to showing the offending _idiot_ the business end of an air sphere. "What did he-" his voice rose a little, angry at how Mako just seemed to repeating the same thing he did with Asami.

Those thoughts went away quickly when she looked at him, shaking her head a bit faster time. "It's not what you think. He's just... busy." She sighed as she rested her cheek on the counter. "That's _all_."

He couldn't sit here and let her wallow like that. "I know he's got his hands full, but isn't he at least making an effort?."

"I suppose, it's..." She sighed again as she lifted her hand, scratching at a fleck of paint starting to peel away from the countertop. "Its frustrating trying to do things together. That's all. I think."

Tai looked at her for a moment, thoughts entirely somewhere different. "Yeah." The green door opening caught his eye, and he glanced over to see a sight that wasn't exactly _welcome_. "What's he doing here?" He muttered, more to himself than to Korra.

She raised her head, turning on the stool to see Tahno leaning against the doorframe, smiling like a cat as usual. "Already traded for a different model?" She went to say something when Tai pushed away from the counter, a growl on his features.

He clenched his fist as he leveled a scowl at the _pretty boy_. "Watch it, I might just pop you one again!"

"Easy does it, windy. I'm just here to collect on a promise." He directed a grin at Korra, who nodded slowly from her place just behind Tai's shoulder.

"Your bending. I haven't forgotten." She placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, which immediately drained the growl away from him and relaxed his shoulders.

"You're not going to go-" He started, definitely not liking the idea of her being alone with such a _creep_.

"Its okay. I can handle myself." She tightened her grip on his shoulder for a moment, nodding as she moved past him and towards Tahno, who bowed mockingly and indicated the open door and the view of the street outside. She stopped, glancing at him suspiciously. "We can do it here. It doesn't take long-"

"Oh, I think something like this requires the _absence_ of an audience. Follow me, Avatar." His tones continued to mock her, at the same time making her want to punch him out for the constant way he kept insinuating... _that_.

"Fine. Whatever." He bowed and slipped out of the doorway, already moving across the street to the alley nearby, at the end of which she could see it open into a wide space. She looked back at Tai. "I'll be back soon. Keep my noodles warm." She smile at him, before walking through the door after the former bender.

Tai watched her move across the street and into the darkened alley, losing track of her for a bit as she moved through a shadowed area. He was very reluctant to just stand here and wait. He looked back at the counter, seeing his bowl with the green net of noodles floating on top. Next to that was her bowl, looking much the same way.

Maybe he should wait here.

He sighed to himself as a bald man came into the Noodlery, ducking to pass under the topframe of the door. His green eyes stayed on Tai the entire time, and the boy got the feeling that he was being watched by more than just him. "Young man, could you go out into the street I seem to have lost my wallet. Could you pick it up for me?" His tones sounded casual and almost kindly, but those eyes still stayed the same. Shrewd and dangerous.

Resisting the urge to keep a close hand near his sword he nodded slowly, keeping an eye on him as he moved past cautiously. "Sure, old guy." Slowly he moved out into the street, seeing that there was a plain-looking wallet lying in the middle of the street. Just like he said.

Cautiously he moved towards it, bending down to pick it up. He turned and smiled shakily at the old man, who returned his smile as Tai straightened, only for his eyes to widen at the line of blue clothed people running into the alley entrance in front of him. The alley _Korra had gone _into_._

As they passed he felt his blood move strangely as he dropped the wallet, reaching a hand to his sword's handle as he watched them beginning to converge on the wide space deeper in the alley.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a smile on the old man that never reached his eyes as he flicked his wrist casually. The earth of the street rose up in blocks, growing up his boots and reaching up to his ankles in a sheath of smooth stone. He couldn't move.

Tai's eyes narrowed as he immediately reached down, an air sphere ready to blast the rock apart to free himself and get to the alley ahead. The rock blasted apart and immediately he was off at a run, sprinting as hard as he could towards the alley when a heavy weight slammed him into the wall, stars exploding in his vision as he screamed in pain and tried to recover, to get up and stop her from being _taken again_.

He struggled against the loops of rock pinning his hands and feet to the wall as he heard footsteps slowly approach. "I can't allow you to interfere. I do apologise." The old man appeared nearby, watching calmly as the blue clothed group of people started to pour into the wide space ahead, quietly satisfied at how easy it was to stop the interruption to his plan.

* * *

She looked up at the familiar voice screaming in pain, just as a pale hand grabbed her wrist and wrenched downwards, surprising her as she tumbled to the ground painfully. A rock scratched at her cheek as she twisted about, wrapping her legs around Tahno's waist to stop him from moving. "What are you doing-" she started, only for a gasp to escape her as his palm slammed into her stomach, taking the breath away from her.

Korra coughed and sputtered as she got to her feet, turning every way to find Tahno when her blood shifted strangely. Her gaze swung up as a muscle in her shoulder contracted painfully, getting a scream out of her before she cut herself off with a heavy grunt. "Stop this-" A muscle in her abdomen contracted, bringing to her knees as her vision swam.

"I have to, Avatar."

She looked for the one responsible, a primal feeling wanting her to make him suffer surfaced, disappearing and being replaced by fear as a group of people in pale blue clothing stepped out of the shadows around the edges of the space, all of them brown or pale skinned with a shade of blue to their eyes.

Desperation and survival instinct drove her to punch forwards, a wave of fire boiling the air as it rushed towards the strange hooded figures. A wall of water rose up to meet it, steam lifting away as the fire slowed and died down just before it, getting chuckles from some of the hooded men. She gritted her teeth and tried again, lifting her foot to stomp down on the earth when the muscles in her other leg contracted and spasmed, sending shocks of pain up and down her body until all she could see was _red_.

The force inside of her raged, and a primal feeling overpowered her as she let the golden energy take her over, eager to pound those who threatened her into the dust. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a half-opened drainage cover, she concentrated and pointed her hand at it, before sweeping it across her front to bring a torrent of water up and out of the sewer pipe and sending it across their ranks.

Her blood rebelled again, this time more violently as she felt something in her break as the golden hue drained away from her eyes. The energy retreated from her weak grasp as she willed it to help her again, but nothing came up.

The ranks of the hooded people parted for a man with silver streaks in his braided black hair. Her eyes widened as she felt herself slipping from the world. "We require your services, _Avatar_." She saw the needle points of his teeth as he smiled, nothing but malice and promised suffering coming from it.

One more time her blood rebelled, and this time her eyes closed.

* * *

土


	9. The Failure, the Anger, and the Action

土

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

Below him Oogi yawned, sending a few rumbles throughout his massive frame and shaking Tenzin around a little as the Bison kept himself awake. Tenzin directed a brief frown at his longtime companion, who responded by shaking him again.

He sighed and conceded defeat, tightening his grip on the reins as he slowly pulled them to the side, the action telling Oogi to do a gradual turn through the open air above the central borough buildings, which unlike the rest of the city was relatively clean and free of pollutants, due to both the considerably more cutting edge technology and the funds to maintain them, and also to the large population of benders living in the high rise apartments and penthouses, who didn't need any diesel engines to fuel their home's electrical supply due to the hired team of lightningbenders working non-stop to keep them happy.

That thought brought out another sigh from him. The people living in those buildings had it in their ability to help the city if they'd just realise how worse off the non-benders really are.

A grumble from Oogi brought him out of those thoughts, which he resolved shouldn't be dwelt on too much. The warehouses and private piers of the central island's waterfront dropped away as the calm waters of the bay replaced them, the smell of the salt being lifted up to him on the spray carried by the early morning breeze. In the distance sat his home with the light blue roof of the temple spire visible even from this distance, far taller than any of the other buildings in its shadow.

Flying towards the island always filled him with a sense of peace, and the level of noise coming from it was negligible compared to the bustling metropolis he was flying away from, which was always busy even during the night.

Sometimes the still dark waters below were disturbed by a shipping freighter of some kind, one of a constant trail going out of the bay and into the Mo Ce sea, usually to the ports of the Fire Nation or heading down south towards the Earth Kingdom, where their cargo would be hauled onto land and taken to Omashu for distribution through the country. The colors of the massive ships had changed from the crimson marking them as Future Industries, to a dull blue and white that belonged to the Kerisa Magnate. That man and his son had gotten more vocal in the last couple of weeks, even complaining about how his 'vagrant mongrel of a student had antagonised his better to the point of embarrassment in a public venue.'

Or in a less pretentious language than what was on the strongly worded letter, Tai accidentally bumped him while roaming the Arena during Korra's ceremony.

He noticed the top of a sail below, and he looked up to see the Island's single pier sticking out from the beach below. He nudge Oogi's flanks a little, getting a grunt in reply as the bison picked up speed and swatted his tail up and down at a faster tempo. The air over the island was crisp and fresh as always, making him a little more alert as he concentrated in guiding Oogi into a lowering descent.

Slowly the roofs of the buildings below grew larger and larger in his eye, and it wasn't long before Oogi descended below them as well, leveling out just above the ground as Tenzin guided him towards the central courtyard of the island.

Oogi's feet thudded onto the stones at the same time, sending a almighty thump that shook the trees ringing the courtyard's edge enough to disturb the sleeping Lemur colonies within, the denizens of which screamed and chittered while taking flight in droves away from the leaves and white orbs hanging on the branches.

He turned, swinging his leg over Oogi's neck in preparation to slide down his side as he had done so many times before it was just natural to him. He stopped himself before long, seeing the stack of paperwork with a fountain pen neatly placed on top and his ledger standing up against the side of the massive stack. A grumble came out of him as he grabbed the front edge of the saddle, swinging himself over and scooping up the papers in his arms, feeling the strain in his arms due to how many there were. His fingers scrabbled for a bit before touching the ledger, and he brought it up and placed on top of the pile for stability.

Looking down at the ground over the top of the paper he straightened and held himself rigidly for a moment, tensing up the muscles in his legs in preparation for a little jump. Quickly he lifted a foot and kicked back down with it, the backblast of wind carrying him over the lip of the saddle and leaving him hanging in the air for a moment before gravity took over. He focused again and traced a circle with his foot, swirling up a mass of air that slowed his descent to a more safe speed.

Tenzin nodded to himself as he alighted, impressed that he managed to get down without losing any of the paperwork in the process. As he took a few steps towards the steps going to the dormitory he heard a unimpressed grunt coming from Oogi. He sighed and turned towards his longtime companion. "I'll be back soon."

As usual Oogi complained with a soft roar that rang out across the island and blew a great burst of hot air out of his nostrils before lifting off into the air, resulting in Tenzin being buffeted with heavy gusts of wind.

He sighed and placed the paperwork on the ground, taking a few seconds the readjust his cloak before bending down and picking up the stack of papers. He made for the stairs at a pace that wouldn't affect what he was carrying too much, soon making his way up the steps as a few clouds overhead moved and allowed the rising sun's rays through, illuminating the top of the trees and hitting the leaves with a golden brilliance.

The absence of sound coming from the building ahead made him stop, usually Meelo or Ikki were up at this hour causing enough ruckus to wake up the entire island. And with his brother staying as well a relentless barrage of noise and laughter should have been hitting him but instead there was just silence. He moved past the pond and into the covered walkway that connected to the front doors.

Placing a semi-cautious hand on the handle he pushed the door to the side, stepping through and turning to close it behind him as he heard quiet voices upstairs. Apprehension filled his stomach as all kinds of thoughts ran through him, had one of the kids fallen? Had something happened to Rohan?-

He shook those thoughts away, Pema would never let that happen and neither would Bumi. Still, the apprehension formed a knot in his stomach as he climbed the stairs, careful to step around the weak spots in the wood were Korra constantly thought would be a good idea to stomp on. He suppressed a sigh, she always seemed to find ways to damage the furniture. And after having her living with him and his family for just under a year he knew a small portion of what her parents must have contended with.

The voices carried much more clearly to him once he reached the top of the stairs, and he felt a spike of fear when he realised it belonged to Pema. One of the kids must have-

A new voice, more level but still just as barely contained. Lin as well. He opened the door, the first thing meetings his eyes was the downcast look on Pema as she held Jinora close, who had her face hidden as she shook with each sob. Nearby Bumi stared at the floor, judging by the tank top and pajama pants he had only just woken up.

Bumi looked up and caught his eye with a look that told Tenzin all he needed to know. Something was very wrong.

"Daddy, Korra and Tai didn't come home last night!" Parental instinct kicked in automatically, overriding the shock registering in his thoughts as he bent down and wrapped Ikki in a hug, seeing the wetness in her eyes and on her cheeks.

He didn't say anything, nodding as he held his daughter close and looked at Lin. "What happened?"

"Asami called me a hour ago. She and Bolin found Tai injured in the middle of the street and Korra gone." Pema rigidly controlled her voice as she looked at him, trying not to let concern for either of them cloud her ability to think.

Lin looked him dead in the eye with her arms folded. "I came as soon as I heard." She sighed as she looked at the floor for a moment. "Spirits, Its _Tarrlok_ all over again."

The mention of him brought Tenzin back to the time he watched the black speedboat being dragged out of the water, no sign that either of the brothers had survived readily noticeable apart from the remnants of a bandage found among the splintered wood. The thoughts drained away as he looked down at his oldest daughter as she stepped back and unburied her face from Pema's thigh. It pained him to see so many tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Jinora." Lin spoke her name softly as she kept her gaze on Tenzin. "Tell your father what you told me."

Immediately Tenzin knelt down to her level, holding his arms out for her in case she needed him. "What is it?" He quietly asked, despite all he wanted was to stop his daughter from crying.

The tears slowed a little as Jinora's lip quivered. "I - I was reading about Houyi - and - and Grandpa Aang, when someone came up to me-" She stopped as a tear rolled from her cheek and plopped to the floor, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "-He said that Mako was busy and he couldn't make it for something that night. He left and I told her."

"So what happened?" He murmured, trying not to pressure her too much.

He saw the look Lin leveled at him. "Tenzin, that messenger wasn't from the Police Force. He's not one of my recruits and isn't listed in any of the departments. I believe he may have been a Monsoon." She said quietly.

Speech left him for a few moments at the thought of the Red Monsoons having captured the Avatar. They had to act quickly before anything happened to her. But as he looked at his distraught daughter he knew what was top on his priorities. He moved towards Jinora, who looked away from him and at the floor between her feet without saying so much as a peep.

Nothing needed to be said as he knelt down, placing a hand on the top of her head and bringing her in close. The simple act of fatherly care started to bring out some fresh tears on the girl's face, and as she buried herself in his leg she took halting breaths. "I- I want to help."

Reluctantly he nodded slowly. "Alright, sweetie." Keeping her close he looked up at the worry on Pema that came from watching her oldest daughter beat herself up for a honest mistake. He frowned and glanced at his brother. "Bumi, watch over them while I'm gone."

His brother stood up and nodded, still holding onto Ikki's hand. "Be careful, little brother. You too, Beifong"

"Come on." He glanced at Lin as she moved past him and towards the door, her expression as featureless as steel. "We should get moving."

Tenzin moved towards Pema, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "I won't be long." He murmured to her as she nodded in response. He always hated leaving her and the kids like this during a crisis, having done it so many times before that no words needed to be exchanged between them. He lingered for a few seconds before moving towards the sliding door, just as he heard the whine of a animal coming from the other side of it.

He stepped into the hallway, seeing Kaze sitting on his haunches nearby and looking up at him almost pleadingly. "Come on, Kaze." He murmured, snapping his fingers to get the Spirit-Wolf's attention.

Kaze uttered a short bark and followed him down the hallway towards the stairs, ready to help find his master.

* * *

_Sato Estate._

Slowly, he stirred. Sleeping forever sounded like a good idea to him, one that he didn't want to let go of as his mind slowly stopped spinning. The effort to open his eyes was beyond him and all he could do without getting a headache was slowly move his fingers. Even that took a lot out of him, but at least the small movement was a step in the right direction, away from the memories just starting to flood in.

He failed. _Again_. His entire body ached all over, yet the bruises and tortured ribs he felt paled in comparison to that single immutable fact. It made his blood burn when his mind went back to another time with the same situation, with a highway on a lonely night being the backdrop for his previous failure.

The _weasel-snake _would pay. Still it wouldn't do him or _her_ any good to just lie here and cry a river, he had to get moving quickly to get on her trail. He went to sit up when a lance of pain spiked up his back, sending shivers through his system and his teeth on edge as he was forced back down into lying on what felt like silken sheets as a cry of pain forced its way out of him.

As he gritted his teeth and bit back another cry a pair of doors opened nearby, and a familiar girl with long raven hair ran into the room, a middle aged water tribe woman following close behind and uncorking a flask on her hip. Haltingly, he managed to prop himself up using his elbows, able to see Bolin jumping up from the couch on the other side of the room and moving at a brisk pace as Pabu chittered nervously from inside his collar.

"Stay still you idiot! You've still got internal bleeding!" Tai watched as Kya shook her head, the stream of water from her flask collecting into a pulsing sphere between her palms. He grunted as another lance of pain shot up his back and as it passed he quickly noticed how sore and numb everywhere else was.

He stayed silent, waiting as slowly his wounds cleared up or shrunk down to a more tolerable level.

"Okay, dude, _what happened_?" He kept quiet, looking down at the sheets and how they were scrunched up in a interesting fashion, something far more preferable to admitting that he had failed again. "Dude?" This time Bolin's voice was quieter, less forceful or prying as the earthbender nervously waited for him to say something.

A image of that pretty boy occupied his head, sending his thoughts into a rage in less than a second. "_Tahno_." He growled the name out, the dangerous tone and the dark look settling on him had a effect on Bolin, who stepped back a little as he grimaced at the sight of the concern on Asami. "He-" It was hard to say anything about what happened with it still so raw in his mind, but he took a deep breath, telling himself to suck it up. "Korra and I were having noodles at Narooks. She said something about Mako cancelling- and next thing I know the _pretty boy_ walks in, asking for her to restore his bending." Despite the obvious look on Bolin that showed he hadn't finished explaining anything he stopped himself cold, images of that crowd of bloodbenders coming to mind.

"Tai. What happened next?" He didn't look up as he felt a soft touch on his wrist as Asami leveled a look at him that gently urged for him to continue.

"She went outside, following him into some alleyway across the street. I should have _followed_ but... I sat there as this old man entered the restaurant, he asked me to find his wallet that he had dropped in the middle of the street. I went out there, and he got the jump on me as these weird hooded guys cut me off from her." He fell silent as the memories of the previous night began to overwhelm him again, but he managed to stop them from doing so by looking at Bolin. "How did you find me?"

"Oh, well..." He arched a eyebrow as Bolin's cheeks reddened. "Asami and I were heading out for some noodles -she needed a break from her businessey stuff- and I wasn't busy so... yeah. Noodles..." Bolin trailed off as he glanced nervously at Asami, who nodded to confirm it. "Anyway, I freed you from that wall and Asami drove us to her mansion since it was fairly close by."

"Thanks." He nodded to the two of them and tried his luck at sitting up again, although ignoring the mounting urge to lie back down and rest was getting harder to do by the second.

Kya shook her head as she rolled the ball of water over the more worse off portions of his body, paying particular attention to the massive mottled bruise that wrapped around his stomach and sides. His insides hurt a whole damn lot, forcing him to stay still as the older woman leaned over him to guide the healing water to where it needed to be. "Korra told me about all of the other times she's had to heal you. You're reckless, you know that right?"

He wasn't sure if she was lecturing him or just stating a fact, made a little more confusing by the smirk on her. "Yeah. I've been told that." A grunt forced its way out of him as he forced his battered muscles to work, having another attempt at ignoring the haze of pain that covered his body as he tried to sit up in the bed.

This time he succeeded, managing to keep his upper body upright with only a moderate amount of swaying. As the cool air tickled his bare skin, he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Asami, where are my clothes?"

She nodded and moved away from the bed towards a bench near the door, kneeling down to pick up the coat and shirt in her arms before moving back to the bedside and depositing them near his leg. As he dragged the grey shirt closer to pull it on he stared down at the sheets. "I've got to get going, trail will be going cold soon enough.

"We're coming with you." He looked up at the two of them, seeing determination on both of them. "Look, we understand the feeling that you need to do this alone...but she's our friend as well and we need to look out for her." Asami's words took a while to make sense in his mind, to him they hadn't failed at all, they hadn't been there when _Tarrlok _took her from the city, only able to because he stupidly thought he could stop the van. "And if you think we're letting you take to the streets, _think again_. We need to Lin and Tenzin about this."

Tai fought the urge to glare at her, settling for a curt nod even though all he _wanted_ was to run out of there and slam Tahno into a wall, maybe introduce a little _pressure to his lungs_. "Fine." His confirmation came out as a growl rather than a word.

Asami didn't pretend to know everything going through her friend's mind right now, all she knew was that he was definitely fixating on what happened with Tarrlok a few months ago.

She looked at the floor for a few moments, not wanting to see the dark glare starting to permanently set in her friend's eye. _"_I called Tenzin as soon as I could. It shouldn't take long for him to arrive."

* * *

_Police Headquarters._

They were gathered in her office, everyone at a loss at what to do next. "If Rorik has her, then-" Boto closed his eyes, trying not to think of what the bastard was capable of doing to his friend. No, he couldn't focus on that, he needed to help the others form a plan to get her back.

Looking at the dark expression on Tai, he realized how hard this must be hitting him. The logical part of him took over, poring over the data concerning the Red Monsoons he now knew off by heart. "They'll definitely know they can't hold onto her for long. Fortunately even they won't be dumb enough to-" He stopped himself, afraid of even thinking that those sadistic waterbenders knew what _restraint_ was.

He had never seen it from them in a fight, or when they broke into a store. "Since...Korra is who she is, that will buy us a little time in coming up with a way to get her out of there."

Lin nodded and drummed her fingers on the surface of the desk, fuming quietly as she directed her anger at herself because of how _useless_ she felt right now. The Avatar had been captured by one of the most notorious bloodbenders alive and she couldn't even mount a rescue without getting people killed. There had to be another way. "How long ago, Tai?" Her question was a quiet one, barely audible even to herself.

Tai looked up slowly, readying a answer that would satisfy her when Jinora's quiet sobs grew a little louder as she buried her face into her father's leg. He grimaced and looked at her, feeling like crap just seeing her that way. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't know who he was-" Her sobs grew stronger as Tenzin lowered himself to her level, saying nothing at all as he pulled his oldest daughter into a hug, stroking her hair as the sobs continued.

"It's not your fault Jin." The boy leaning against the wall nearby didn't lift his head to look at her, instead still staring at the floor with an unknowably dark expression. "It's all on _me_." He looked up, still seeing that Lin was waiting for him to say something concrete. "Last night. _Spirits_, I was out for so long."

"So Tahno wasn't acting alone, we know the Monsoons use the old wharf as their entry into the undercity, we need to get in there and flush them out!" Everyone looked at Mako, well aware that he wasn't too far away from losing it and storming off by himself. "We need to do something!"

Makei ran a gauntlet covered hand down his face, sighing in frustration that they had to do something while at the same time they would be badly outmatched. "Yes son, but to do that we need to make a _plan_. We'd only be throwing ourselves at them otherwise. And even if we did manage to get inside, they'd disperse into the sewer system and pop up anywhere in the city at any time. I won't risk men on a suicide run to rescue the Avatar."

"The Commander's right, Mako. We need to plan for every way this can go wrong. And there are so many ways it can. They definitely know we're coming." Out of the corner of her eye Lin noticed Tai leveling a intense stare at the floor, chewing his lip as he did so.

"What if we _do _storm the front entrance." She arched a eyebrow at Tai, who still stared at the floor as he continued to chew his lip, the only change being that he had unclenched his hands. "But not with a army. One person can make a ton of noise." He still had that dark look on him, even as a reckless and outright insane plan was forming in his thoughts.

Jinora sniffed, looking up at Tenzin's expression as he realized what his student was thinking. "Are you _mad_?"

"You're looking at a guy that went after the leader of the equalists with nothing more than a sword, call me _mad_ but I'm not going to fail again." His fists clenched as he accidentally reminded himself of those events, and doubt at whether he could do this gnawed at him. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt because I was duped by Tahno. Its my mistake and I plan to correct it."

"I hate to say it but he has a point." Lin murmured, narrowing her eyes as she worked out places she could position men and areas she could get airships to cover.

Tenzin's jaw dropped at the thought that she actually agreed with something that reckless. Involving his student no less. "Lin! You agree with him?!"

She fixed him with a glare, one she used many times to make him realise he wasn't grasping the whole picture. "If he's volunteering to do this, I say let him. All of us in this room are well known among the Triads, enough that if we went in there we'd be captured or killed on the spot. Tai is a unknown to them, they won't expect him."

He couldn't fault her on her logic since a small part of him was thinking the exact same thing. But even so, he wasn't going to let Tai just walk in and get himself hurt! "I-" Tenzin stopped himself at the look on Tai, one that made it apparent he blamed himself for what happened. He couldn't stop him, he already had his mind made up. "Only if there's backup waiting the second he walks in there." Just saying that was hard, as if it confirmed that he wholeheartedly supported the boy going and getting himself killed.

Makei moved forward and nodded. "Tenzin, we'll be ready and waiting." He knew words wouldn't be enough to calm his old friend's concerns so he nodded as well, a sign Tenzin knew well, that he would honor his promise to the end.

Feeling more like a old man than ever Tenzin sighed as he felt a tug at the bottom of his cloak. "He'll be fine, honey." he whispered.

"Master. I-" he grunted in surprise as a weight wrapped itself around his legs, shock and surprise registered on him as he looked down and saw Jinora burying her face in the side of his leg. The shock and surprise disappeared as he smiled softly and knelt down, placing his arms around the little girl and holding her close. "I'll be fine, _Jin._" He muttered as she nodded slowly. "I'll bring her home." He whispered in a even lower tone, only loud enough for Jinora to hear.

It hit Tai that this really the first time he had ever seen Jinora as who she was. A _eleven year old girl_. He kept his hand on her shoulder, giving a little squeeze as he stood up straight and looked his master in the eye with all the determination he had. "Once I'm in I can find a way out into the sewer system using this." He tapped the side of his nose to prove his point.

"Most likely they'll capture you on sight, see how much you're worth by putting a ransom out. Unless they kill you first." Mako stared down at the floor, the only person on his mind being her, as far as he was concerned anyone else could go hang.

* * *

"You think she's okay?" Bolin murmured, his head a whirlwind of doubt and concern that served to make it impossible for him to think clearly. Pabu chose this moment to pop out of his collar with a chitter, with Bolin mechanically lifting a hand to scratch him under the chin.

"Sure." Asami glanced at him, trying to stop from fidgeting as all the stories and urban legends about the Monsoons bounced around in her head, quickly destroying any semblance of thoughts that arranged into a tangible plan that would rescue her fri- _best_ friend, from them. She looked up at the sound of the main elevator coming to a stop, seeing Tai and Mako moving into sight from the hallway a few seconds later.

The two of them stood up from their seats. "What's the plan, guys?" She asked as they approached, noticeably looking away from one another.

"Just say the word and we'll get her!" Bolin nervously looked at his brother, seeing a dark look in his yellow eyes that gave him a urge to shrink back a little. Something which he resisted.

Tai looked at the two of them, his hand tightening into a fist. "We have a plan." With that he stalked past them, leaving a confused look on Bolin as he pushed the doors open, shoving his hands into his pockets as he went down the steps.

"I don't want you getting involved, Bo'."

He couldn't believe his ears as he looked at his brother incredulously. "Excuse me? She may be your girl but she's my _frie_-"

His protests made Mako bristle. "I know that! These are dangerous people we're dealing with and I don't want you to get hurt!" His voice was nearly at a shout as he glared at his little brother, trying to get the message through his thick head that he couldn't do any good going with them.

Bolin fell silent as he studied Mako's face, unable to see past the protective mothering that his brother gave him for the past ten years. "I won't bro. I'll have you with me the entire time."

Mako growled, wishing he hadn't played that card. "I-" He stopped at the look Bolin was giving him. "Okay. Don't move out of my _sight_." Fuming inside he moved past his infuriating little brother towards the doors, pushing them open and going down the steps.

"Bolin, are you-" Asami's question fell short as she saw Tenzin, Lin and Boto moving towards them. "We're coming with you."

"Actually I was going to ask anyway. We'll take a Truck." Lin answered her, turning and leading the way back towards the main elevator.

* * *

_Republic City Sewer System._

She could hear muffled voices, far off and distant by how distant they sounded as she opened her eyes slowly, every ache and bruise working to slow her attempts to wake up and get her bearings. A gasp rose in her throat before she quickly bit down on it as lances of pain spiked up her arms, bringing beads of sweat that rolled down her forehead.

Her entire body shook horribly as she realized she had been suspended in the air. Slowly she lifted her head, squinting as light from a decrepit and rusted lantern threw dirty light into her eyes as it hung from a old and gnawed length of rope. The tinkle of metal and the feel of it chafing her wrists told her how she was being suspended.

A idea came to her and she grunted with the effort of swinging herself, trying to get enough momentum to break free of the chains holding her up. As she felt her view of the dark space move up as the momentum started to mount the chains tinkled again and something brought her back to her original position.

Korra's eyes widened as she looked down and noticed the chains around her ankles and how they ran into the floor.

Finding it best to not panic she looked into the dark space, hearing running water somewhere below her as she noticed a sewer grate set into a far off wall that fed into a large drain pipe. Occasionally the grate opened to allow a rush of water in, then closed almost immediately.

A peal of cruel laughter reached her eyes, coming from somewhere behind her. She struggled to turn herself around to get rid of the vulnerable feeling of having unseen eyes on her, she nearly succeeded in doing so until a hand rushed out of the gloom, clamping onto her arm and wrenching it to the side to set her into a stomach churning spin.

Pale blue eyes showed themselves above a mouth of pearly white teeth, and Tonrik showed himself. "How's it hanging, gorgeous?" He leered at her, his eyes raking up and down her body as he moved behind her with his hands hanging freely by his sides.

"Tonrik..." She gritted her teeth as he disappeared from the corner of her eye, unable to stop the feeling of helplessness from welling up. "Since when could you - bloodbend?"

His grinning visage appeared in front of her as his hand closed around her chin and wrenched her closer to his face. "Its in my _blood_." The leering began again, and she scowled as he ran a hand up her side, still grinning with his eyes boring straight into hers.

She responded by spitting a gob of saliva from the corner of her mouth, he almost recoiled in horror as it landed on his cheek. He touched a finger to his cheek, a look of rage on him as he swung a quick fist into her stomach, sending her into coughing fit amongst pained gasps.

Korra grunted in pain as she glared down at him. And he responded with a vicious right hook into her side. The breath was taken out of her as she swung from side to side from the impact, coughing and sputtering as her mind worked out a way to get out of there.

Nothing came to mind as he pulled back his fist, a look of pure rage on his features telling her was a bit angry. Before he could begin his swing a invisible force clamped down on his fist, and Tonrik yelped in surprise and fear, his eyes swinging from side to side to locate some hidden entity. "You should know when to show courtesy, junior. She is our guest." His eyes widened as his arm extended to the side and the invisible force dragged him back into the dark gloom surrounding Korra. She could now spot at least three pairs of eyes, all at varying shades of blue.

"Yes, my- my apologies Father..." She narrowed her eyes at Tonrik's quiet tones before focusing on the smiling man standing in front of her, shoulders square and his bearing mockingly _regal_.

"I must apologise for my son, he can be rather...Zealous in how he behaves." As the man moved fully into the meager light thrown by the rusty lantern, she noticed a strange teardrop shaped vial hanging on a thread over his chest, filled completely by a liquid that glowed with a pure silvery light.

"Spirit water..." She murmured under her breath, before looking at him and scowling. "Who are you?" Her blood crawled as he grinned again, showing the finely filed points of his shiny white teeth, some of which looked like they had serrated edges on them.

"Simply a man looking out for his brothers and sisters, Avatar. My name is Rorik." His answer chilled her to the bone as she recognised him from the warehouse raid so long ago. He noticed the paleness her skin took on and grinned again. "You know of me?" He shook his his head and chuckled with his light and watery tone of voice, looking at her with something bordering on pleasant amusement.

She went to say something, but her voice trailed away in a pained gasp as her blood rebelled and thrashed. He slowly moved his fingers in a jerky pattern as he paced back and forth. "How are you-" Flashes of the darkened and wrecked city hall came to mind along the look of a desperate and what some would say terrified man as he lifted his arms and bloodbent without a full moon. Her blood crawled as pain wracked her frame, resulting in her vision dimming a little.

The man's smile was simple as he stopped pacing and turned his hand over as if examining it. "I have my means, others may be able to do it because of bloodline strength, but with enough time and experimentation, _anything is possible_." He hissed those last words with almost religious fervor, renewing the movement of his fingers as he exacted more pressure on her. "You're probably wondering why we have you here with us, well that's simple. I need your abilities for a little ceremony of ours."

Anger flared in her, and her body continue to shake as she bit down on a gasp and replaced it with a growl. "I'll never- aah!" She screamed this time as every muscle in her body apart from her neck and head contracted violently, sending lances of pain that overwhelmed her ability to think or even feel anything. She shook as beads of sweat ran freely down her forehead, her eyes threatening to close.

"I didn't say it was optional-" A rumble ran through the tunnel as a mighty boom sounded, Rorik rolled his eyes and sighed as he turned around, squinting a little at the new source of light coming from the now shattered drainage pipe at the end of the tunnel, the grate on it torn and rent and missing a few hinges and fixtures.

He squinted again, noticing someone was standing in the pipe with some kind of weapon in hand. "Hmm."

* * *

Tai breathed heavily as he settled his focus on the grated walkway stretching over the canal of water beneath his feet, his blood rising a little as he saw Tonrik narrowing his eyes and looking at the taller guy next to him, who Tai assumed was important or something.

None of that mattered as his eyes settled on the girl hanging by her wrists behind them.

His head skipped a few thoughts when he noticed that her chest was barely moving, only feeding the absolute _blaze_ currently occupying his entire being. He brought his sword to the front, angling the tip down a little as he dropped a short distance to the stone running on either side of the tunnel.

He tightening his grip on his sword, as he heard a pained groan coming from the wrecked metal pipe behind him. He stepped out of the way as the guy whose face he had his foot planted in a few minutes ago stumbled through, dropping face first into the water of the canal.

He looked at the group of figures on the walkway, seeing that one of them was clearly Yureg. But, the one next to him...he would _pay_. He masked his burning anger with a easy smirk, drawing on years of using that trick to get food from passerby while on the road to the city.

As the group of figures watched him silently he took a step forward, wiping the side of his mouth with the cuff of his coat as he did so. "I'm not interrupting, am I?" He called out while making his way along the side of the tunnel and keeping a eye glued to Yureg and _him_.

The girl stirred and lifted her head, a spark of relief found its way into her eye before it went away just as quickly when a enraged Tonrik punched her in the side. She shivered with pain but didn't let her eyes close, focusing as much as possible on Tai to avoid slipping into the black.

It was hard for him to keep calm after seeing that being done to her, and he noticed that his tightening grip on the sword was making the blade shake a little. "Taking her was just the _first _mistake you creeps made."

A mocking laugh answered Tai, bouncing down the tunnel walls towards him as he watched the guy with the weird smile lean on the railing of the walkway, grinning and shaking a finger at him." You know, I can smell your blood from here, _kid_. I have to say its a very interesting smell." He chuckled and looked down at the running water, a dark light going into his eyes as he tilted his head in amusement. "Let's get a closer look. Deal with him, Yureg." He pushed away from the railing and raised his hand towards Korra, a ribbon of water rising above his shoulder and slashing through the chains attached to her manacles.

The girl's scream as she spasmed urged Tai into a sprint, he kept to the side of the tunnel as he sent a few blasts of wind spiralling towards Yureg, who twisted between them as he sailed through the air over the water, a cloud of vapor gathering in his hand as he tracked Tai's movements.

He flicked his wrist, sending a eddy of air spinning at the approaching waterbender as he aimed his other palm at the ground and unleashed a stream of wind. The force of it kept him in the air, and he orientated himself so that the soles of his boots now brushed against the curved wall of the tunnel.

As the vapor formed blade slashed down into his vision he raised his own blade to meet it, using the flat to deflect it away from him as he blasted another gust of air at the wall behind him, shunting him past Yureg and towards the other side of the tunnel.

He used another blast to flip around so that his boots were the first to touch the wall and quickly flung his palm out for another blast to shunt him closer to the walkway, which spanned the gap in front of a large opening that the bloodbender and his son were walking towards, with Korra spasming and twisting in the air between them.

Tai splayed his palm out as he landed on the ground, straightening as he formed a thick layer of air around a pressurised center. He sprinted forwards and up a flight of stone steps leading to the opening, aiming to cut off Rorik before he could go deeper into wherever place the tunnel went and alert the rest of the Triad.

His eyes widened as another gut-wrenching scream was torn from Korra, and all semblance of thinking or logic went out of his head in favor of blind _red_. He ran up the steps and brandished his blade, swinging it towards the smiling bloodbender's exposed neck while directing the air sphere towards his stomach, he wanted to destroy him! To kill-

The boy's blood rebelled and the muscles in both of his arms contracted as he lost his grip on his blade. The weapon clattered to the ground nearby as he squirmed and writhed under the touch of the bloodbender. "You've experienced bloodbending and you still charged us? Interesting."

He could barely hear Rorik's mildly amused tone beyond his heart beating in his ears, he barely registered footsteps coming from behind as his vision dimmed terribly. The sound of a blade scraping against rock reached his ears as someone picked it up. He felt his head dip and bob as he was lifted into the air alongside Korra, his vision of the tunnel being replaced by a dark and dripping wet ceiling only a meter away from his nose.

The low ceiling changed and rose higher, and through his rapidly dimming vision he could see the edges of what he was sure were cell doors. The sound of one of them opening drew his focus as his world tumbled along with him into the confines of a dark room, its walls heavy with thick electrical wires.

He barely felt the impact as he hit the floor, absent mindedly noting he may have a line of bruising that would form over the old line tomorrow. His mind cleared immediately as his blood stopped thrashing and writhing, and he managed to move his fingertips a little bit as the sound of chains being manipulated nearby reached him.

As he saw Korra being thrown into the cell with him, his mind whirled and struggled to remember the plan that would get him and her out of here. And failed to find it.

* * *

土


	10. A Plan, a Strange Rescue, a Strong Bond

土

* * *

_Ruined Wharf._

Good. He got in. "Bro. Bro?" Mako pulled away from the binoculars, blinking until his eyes refocused and could clearly see his little brother's concerned features as they stole glances at the massive building that looked as if it had half-sunken into the surrounding water after something had taken a massive bite out of its front, and only attached to land by a very flimsy path of wooden boards gnarled and rotted with age. "We did not _just _let him waltz in like that!? Tell me we didn't!"

He rolled his eyes, feeling that Bolin was getting too worked up over nothing. "It's all part of the plan, Bo'. "

Bolin nodded, still uneasy about the entire situation despite the unconscious Monsoon members strewn in front of and in the sunken building, a few of them he was certain may have had a few bones broken and ribs fractures. Earlier he could see it in Tai's eyes as he calmly clapped a hand on his shoulder before setting off towards the rotted walkway. _Rage_.

He looked at his brother, not needing more than a second to know he was going through the same thing. "Bro? Ar- are you sure?" He knew he should have been feeling anger as well, especially how _Tahno_ was the one who did this. But… he couldn't, it wasn't him. All he wanted was to see that she was safe and sound. That was all he needed to know.

"I'm sure. Boto, you finished?" Bolin winced at the sound of someone getting whacked in the head, and felt a little nervous at how intensely he seemed to be hitting the poor guy. When he met him during Amon's takeover he seemed relaxed and almost laidback, but the intensely focused and quiet waterbender 'questioning' the goon behind him seemed an almost different person.

Boto was a friendly guy, he was sure of it. "Yeah. I'm done, he only knows what we already know. We'll take the back entrance into the building." Bolin winced again as he heard a whimper trailing off and a thud on the concrete.

He found that he had the urge to tense a little when Boto's hand fell on his shoulder, he turned slightly and almost paled at the misplaced smile on the waterbender. "Okay, Bolin?"

"Oh, uh, yep!" He smiled shakily, nodding and hiding the gulp in his throat as Boto smiled again and moved on ahead, following Mako as he cautiously made his way over the flimsy floorboards towards the massive structure.

Bolin nervously pushed the tips of his fingers together as he neared the edge of the dock, pretending that he didn't see the vague outlines of wrecked ships or the even vaguer outlines of human shapes that he knew really weren't there at all. He hoped.

Looking away from the dark and turgid waters and shaking a bit of yellowed froth free from his shoe he put a foot down on the first wood plank, immediately a shrill squeak rose from it and he wrenched his foot back on instinct, almost losing his balance as he tipped towards the surface of the water. "Hurry up Bo, can't waste any time!"

He managed to right himself with no more flailing involved, and after hearing Pabu chitter nervously from the inside of his collar he nodded and continued across the boards, going as quickly as he could while still keeping balance. The broken front of the wharf now towered over his head and even though he now stood directly in front of it the interior seemed to have darkened to a pitch black gloom as if openly trying to scare the daylights out of him.

But he wouldn't something like that scare him off. Korra needed him- she needed all of _them_.

He turned and made his way to where Mako and Boto waited for him, smiling apologetically at his brother's impatient look. He peered over his brother's shoulder, trying to see what was around the corner when Mako hissed angrily and wrenched him back. "S- Sorry." He whispered, his voice almost too small to hear as he saw the angry light in his brother's eyes.

"Be more careful Bolin." Bolin sighed and looked at his feet, just hearing that tone of disappointment floored him. He looked up again as Mako leaned around the corner, and a strange thought surfaced. He had just done the same thing himself, shouldn't he know better being a cop and all?

"Just one guy, I'll take him." He wasn't sure he liked the cold edge his brother spoke in as he walked around the corner and whistled an old show tune.

Bolin waited a few seconds as his thoughts screamed in worry that Mako was doing something stupid. He couldn't take it anymore and peered around the corner, watching as a stream of fire arced into the thug leaning on the railing of a walkway, a pained cry came from him as his hands scrabbled at the flames on his back. Mako walked up to him and swept his legs out from under him, the impact and the sudden shock of the flames enough to knock him unconscious.

He pushed the tips of his fingers together again when he caught the dark look on Mako before he turned and walked towards a door at the end of the walkway, not liking what he had seen at all. He grimaced as he carefully stepped over the thug, cautious not to hurt him anymore than he already had been.

He walked the short distance towards the closed door as Mako knelt before the door and had his hand held up to the doorknob, a pick and a screwdriver on hand.

Mako listened for the tell-tale click that he found the right position as he drove the head of the screwdriver into the key slot, wiggling it a little until the tip of it had jammed up against the inner pins of the lock. Next he carefully fed the hooked end of the pick into the slot alongside the screwdriver, probing around a bit until he found the first pin he needed to lift up.

Another click told him he had found it, and it didn't take him long to find the others as well. The lock loosened noticeably once all the pins had been lifted out of place. His hand closed around the doorknob as he turned it and pulled the door open, revealing a dusty and dark space with the vague outline of shelves visible. "We're in." He saw Boto's nod and Bolin's nervous gulp, he would talk to him after this.

He pushed the door open, holding onto the edge to keep it from squeaking and alerting any guards Tai may have missed on his way in. Once he was certain no one had heard the door opening he crept through, feeling water lap around his boots as soon as he entered the room. He moved slowly to compensate for the noise of the water's movement, going in between some dusty metal shelves groaning under the heavy boxes on top of them, both of them looking likely to collapse at any moment.

The other side of the room was much the same, with a line of filing cabinets pushed up against it and shelves sitting above them, some of them missing a fixture that resulted in them becoming lopsided.

Mako held up his hand to Boto, signalling that he was going to move out into the main space of the warehouse. Boto nodded his understanding and moved back to whisper in Bolin's ear to tell him as well.

With that taken care of he slowly crept towards the doorframe nearby, his lockpick unnecessary since there was no door standing there he needed to unlock.

The only light came from a large hole in the corner of the roof above, the object that made it currently hanged precariously from a broken and twisted piece of the roof's support structure, the gunpowder inside the conical tip still ready to go off at any moment.

Seeing the Equalist bomb brought back images of the storage room and a grim white mask, and a blue eyed girl getting the only life she knew taken from her by him.

He could hear quiet noises of movement in the gloom but it was impossible to place their location or owner due to how disorienting the dark was. He had a trick up his sleeve to counter that.

Mako took a deep breath and focused on his core, finding the energy kept there in short notice. He directed it down his arms, feeling the familiar warmth flow through his muscles and settling at his fingertips, which began to tingle with sensation and buzz with energy. Concentrating, he exhaled and closed his eyes for a few seconds until he felt a slight tingle in them that made him want to scratch like crazy but he resisted.

Opening his eyes he saw a differently colored world. The gloom was still there, but now punctuated by softly glowing warm-colored clouds of human shape, which when they moved left a trail of the 'cloud' in their wake. He counted four of them as he moved out into the gloom, holding his hands out in front of him to navigate by touch as well since the damp metal and concrete would throw his vision off.

Luckily they were all on the opposite side of the large canal that cut down the middle of the wharf, currently dry with the flood gates up. He frowned as he followed the railing towards the front of the wharf, noticing something _big_ sitting just inside the waterside entrance to the wharf. It was hard to make out what it was from the lack of lighting, so he pushed it to the back of his mind as he found a walkway that ran over the canal to the other side of the room.

The voices up ahead grew louder as he pressed himself against a nearby wall, carefully going down its length until he reached the edge of a door, closed and most likely locked as well. With them so close by he wasn't sure if he could get it open without them hearing his attempts, so he stopped for a moment and started thinking of any ways he could take out the four of them by himself and before they could raise any alarms.

Taking out four bloodbenders by himself was a fairly tall order, he had to admit. A crashing noise in the room put his mind on edge, thinking for a moment that the door was about to burst open and a torrent of water would barrel into him. But the door hadn't moved.

He raised a eyebrow at the sound of four thuds on the floor and tensed his muscles, ready to tap into the flow of energy and let the flames fly. The handle of the door rattled a little before being turned and letting the door open. One of the bloodbenders stumbled through, unaware of him even though he was only a few feet away. Mako found that answer when the middle-aged man collapsed to the floor, a line of bruising all over his cheeks and neck with a few shards of glass sticking from his hands.

Boto held a sheet of paper in a hand as he nodded. "One of them had this. It's got Asami's company logo on it." He handed it to Mako, who arched a eyebrow as Boto moved past him and went to lean on the railing that overlooked the canal, staring at the blown-apart drain pipe that led into the foundation of the wharf's dock.

Mako stared at the shipping list. "South Pole?" he muttered. He turned it over, being greeted with a hastily scribble list of hard to read words.

"Ah!" He looked up and saw Bolin tumble through the broken window, quickly cupping a hand to his collar as panicked chittering came from it. He yelped as his shoulder crunched into the floor, and Mako shook his head as he walked over and extended a hand down to him.

He kept his eyes on the paper, scanning the words on it and quickly seeing that it was a list of names but had no idea who they belonged to. He pursed his lips as he glanced at his little brother, who had just finished standing up and brushing a few large pieces of glass from himself. "You okay, Bo'?" He knew he had been a little bit harsh with him before, and he didn't like shouting or getting angry at Bolin. That wasn't what a big brother was supposed to be like.

The nervous way Bolin's eyes kept darting away told him all he needed to know. "Um, yeah. I'm good."

Mako nodded, not trusting that he could say anything to Bolin bordering on a apology just yet. He looked up as Boto came back into the room."So... the list of names, got a clue about them?"

The waterbender stroked his chin as he nodded, leaning back against a nearby desk that mildly protested underneath the weight of the armor he wore. "I know a few of those names. Prominent waterbenders from some of the richest families in the city. Those names are also on the lists of people Amon de-bended." He narrowed his eyes as he remembered how angry many of the city's big wigs were at Korra's supposed 'betrayal'. "Rorik must have kidnapped her for a reason." Boto stared at Mako, who he saw had just come to the same conclusion.

"Wait... a lot of those names belong to people with suspected connections to the Monsoons... Shit, Rorik took her to give bending back to his bloodbenders!" Mako's mind went into overdrive, threatening to carry him into a full-blown blind _rage_ until a look from Boto stopped him.

"City's toast if the Red Monsoons get back to full strength." Boto muttered, he looked at the increasingly dark look on Mako, and the incredibly worried expression on Bolin. "We've got to get down there as fast as we can."

Mako nodded once and ran towards the railing, vaulting over and onto the floor of the canal, wreathing his hands in fiercely burning flames sometimes flecked with blue in..._Anticipation._

* * *

Her muscles _hurt._

Once again Korra felt nothing but nausea clogging up her head and the world spun as she dropped to the floor, feeling a numb stinging sensation on her palms that was far from her priorities right now. She took in great gulps of air as tears stung at her eyes, she kept her gaze to the floor and focused on just _breathing_ rather than on the people around her.

She could only watch, she was that exhausted, as Tonrik confidently strode into the dimly lit space and looked down at her as if studying prey. She resisted the urge to shiver or show any kind of weakness as he squatted and grabbed her chin so that she couldn't look away. She closed her eyes and kept focusing on breathing rather than how close she was to his smug features. "Tired _again?_ Back at the compound you could last for a whole day!" He chuckled for a moment in anticipation of hearing her incoming rebuttal, but she wasn't going to satisfy him.

She focused on breathing, she focused on Air Temple Island... she focused on _him_.

He waited a few seconds before losing patience, growling and releasing his grip on her chin as he stood up, brushing a mote of dust from the fine material of his coat. "Only _a hundred more to _restore hope to Avatar. Then you can _rest_."

All she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat, and it terrified her a little that it was beating so fast. She kept silent as she summoned up her last reserves of strength to push off of the floor and wipe a hand across her mouth to get rid of the saliva from coughing so much. As she did this she kept a burning gaze on Tonrik, striving to keep that up for as long as she could.

Korra watched as he turned and snapped his fingers, a heavyset door swung open somewhere in the pitch black beyond the dim gloom and she heard two pairs of feet walking towards her. Two Monsoons appeared, one of them she could be sure was there when he came for her.

That thought managed a silent chuckle from her. Tai's rescue worked out _really _well. She held onto the absolute ridiculousness of him running of on his own against bloodbenders, better that than the spirit-crushing amount of worry and fear she felt. She didn't let the confusion show when she noticed that the Monsoon that fought Tai had daggers in his eyes as he focused a glare at the back of Tonrik's head, it disappeared when he turned, replaced by a calm mask of patience.

That was a little weird. "She needs rest, Tonrik." Korra didn't want to believe that one of the Monsoons actually felt any concern for her, but it seemed the case as his measured tone got a chuckle from Tonrik.

"Is that right Yureg? My father's _bodyguard _is giving _me _instructions?" Something dark surfaced in his eyes as he took a few steps forward towards 'Yureg', giving Korra a bit of breathing room for a few moments. "Stick to paying off that debt instead of-" Korra saw his body stiffen for a few seconds and was sure his eyes boggled. The strange fit ended as Tonrik drew in great gasps of air. "He wants to see me. Back to the cell with her until the next group arrives." He said it in a growl which more or less came off as a ill-tempered yelp as he pushed past Yureg and the other Monsoon, disappearing into the dark hallways in... _wherever_ she was.

Her breathing was all she wanted to focus on, and she didn't fight as 'Yureg' and the other Monsoon, who she saw was wearing a dark longcoat similar to Tai's, grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. "Can you stand, Avatar?"

She couldn't fight the urge to at least look at whoever addressed her, settling on 'Yureg'. Strangely enough he actually seemed to hold some concern for her judging by the look on him. She shook her head and he nodded, guiding her arm behind him until her hand draped over his opposite shoulder. The other Monsoon followed his lead without even looking at her. His skin was so pale she guessed he must be a recruit or something.

They took her into the darkened tunnels, the dripping sound she could hear from inside the room now a loud echo that bounced down the walls into other tunnels or rooms of this section of the sewers. At least that meant she was still in Republic City.

For a while all she could hear was the constant dripping of pipes and the sometimes far-off and sometimes not footsteps with unknown owners, at one point she swore she could hear laughter coming from a room with light poking through a crack in the door, as a radio broadcasted a episode of Slapstick Sokka. She remembered listening to it once when Katara bought her a radio to listen to inside the compound, sometimes it was the only thing she really felt was her own besides Naga and the clothes she wore. At the end of a long day of training, sitting in rooms trying to pay attention to history and geography lessons she would return to her room and turn on the radio for a few hours before taking Naga out for her daily run.

The feelings of loneliness during that time vanished when some of the guards, one of which she nicknamed Howl to his constant annoyance, listened to the radio with her or when Tenzin and the kids came to visit.

She wished she was on the island with them rather than in this place.

Her brain told her not to, but she couldn't help feeling that something was a little different about Yureg, something that set him apart from the other Monsoons. She felt she could ask him at least one thing. "Yureg, is it?" Her voice was absolutely tiny as he glanced at her, nodding that she could speak. "Is he...?"

"A little roughed up, but he's still alive." He fell silent as she nodded, welcoming the relief at knowing he was alright for the moment. "He's very... driven."

Once again she ignored the voice of reason telling her not to speak to the Monsoon as she nodded. "Yeah, he is."

They stopped for a moment as Yureg grimaced before looking at the unknown Monsoon. "Check up ahead, make sure the way is clear." Korra didn't even begin to slip as the other Monsoon nodded and move ahead, releasing his grip on her arm. Yureg supported her by himself as he glanced at her. "I apologize for the rough treatment, if its worth anything to you."

She nodded as the unknown Monsoon came back and looped her arm over his shoulder again. Korra looked up just as Yureg and the unknown Monsoon rounded another corner, and she felt that she should say something before getting to whatever room they had her locked in. "Thank you." She whispered as they stopped just outside a nondescript door that looked exactly the same as the others, Yureg glanced down at her with a unreadable expression, and gave her a curt nod.

Somehow she found the energy to frown as the other Monsoon sighed, and she suddenly realized he sounded very familiar to someone she knew. "No need for that, Avatar. I-" The sound of someone gasping for air interrupted him, he frowned as he glanced at the closed door like he was trying to see through it. He grimaced as he reached a hand forward and pulled.

Two Monsoon's stared straight at them, expressions unreadable within the dark expanse of their hoods. Yureg stopped and nodded to the dark-coated Monsoon before stepping into the room and leaving him to keep Korra standing.

She was speechless at the sight of some richly dressed brat laying a barrage of punchs and kicks on Tai, curled on the floor and constantly trying to rise only to be downed by a kick to the ribs.

* * *

Damn, being beaten really took it out of him sometimes.

Managing to find the strength needed to open his eyes, immediately his vision swam horrible as his mind slowly switched on, the aches and bruises all over his body along with it. He groaned as he rolled onto one of his most likely many bruised ribs, swallowing as a way to keep his mind from focusing on that just a little longer.

He gritted his teeth and counted to three before rolling over again, biting back a scream as his ribs started to protest constantly. He could breathe more easily now that he was facing the ceiling, which looked almost identical to the floor so it wasn't that much of a scenery change.

With almost herculean effort he managed to lift up one arm, grimacing at all the scratches and bruises dotting both sides of his hand and wrist. He went to lift the other and almost lost himself as the nerves in his hand caught fire and sent rolling waves of pain down his arm and into his skull, worsening the pounding in his head and making his vision swim again.

Well, they were smart enough to restrain at least one of his hands. He kicked his feet uselessly for a few seconds before finding a bump or rock in the floor, moving a little closer towards the ring fixed to the floor in the corner of the dark room.

Summoning up _any_ dregs of strength he had left, he took a deep breath and managed to sit up straight, immediately shuffling towards the wall and pressing his back against it as a way of support. His vision continued to swam as he realized someone else was in the dark room. "There's no water nearby... So I can't heal you."

He froze for a few seconds, not even blinking as he heard her voice. "Have they-"

"You _idiot_." He fell silent, couldn't even find anything to say to that. She was right about that, but then again she didn't know about the plan. As he found the ability to speak again, to tell her about the plan he stopped when he heard her sobs.

"Its-" His mind switched tracks from telling her the plan to stopping her from completely breaking down.

"They'll... They'll probably..." She trailed off as the sobs increased, stoking a fire inside of him as he shook his head vehemently, hoping that she would see that.

"I'm not waiting around to let them!" He hissed, forcing his brain back onto thoughts about the plan. "Look, the others are on their way, as soon as we-" He cut himself off, cursing the opening of the door, and _cursing the two people _that walked in. All of the fatigue drained away and his aches and bruises were pushed down as he glared at Tahno, not caring for the remorseful look on the _pretty boy_ as he clenched his fist, keeping it behind his back as the door closed behind them. Just move a bit closer...

"Well, well, recovered already? You grow back like the mould in the servant quarters." His mind switched to the new target presented by the grinning Kerisa junior as he sauntered into the room, directing a look at Korra he didn't like at all. He gritted his teeth as he glared up at the three of them, aiming to beat the crap out of them _all_ when they made a break for it.

Although judging by the way Korra seemed to be sitting, almost like she had no muscle at all, that break was going to be slow-going. "So, _Kerisa?_ Wanna tell me about all the beatings or are you actually going to show me?"

He summoned up the energy for a little smirk, enough to get a twitch in the rich brat's eye. "Provoking me isn't healthy, _airbender_."

"I think I know what you can dish out. Just a few bruises. Really? You can do better than that?" He kept the smirk up, even as Kerisa's boot flew into his cheek, slamming him to the floor.

He heard her gasp, and saw the smile on Kerisa as he squatted above Tai, flicking him on the nose. "I think she likes what I'm doing. Don't you?"

Tai focused on keeping a steady flow of air to his lungs as he grinned in response, getting another twitch in the rich brat's eye. "Can't complain. _M__aybe_." He chuckled as Kerisa's skin turned livid as he swung a fist into his side, turning his chuckles to coughs and sputters.

"Keep this up you _speck_, there won't even be enough for the shark-rats to devour!" He shouted as Tai felt more and more kicks in his stomach, soon feeling nothing at all but a series of dull thuds. That might bruise a little, he was sure of it.

"Stop it!" Tai swore under his breath at the almost hysterical tone to Korra, and could only watch through half-closed eyes as Kerisa straightened and loosed one vicious kick at her.

Just the sound of that one impact made Tai's blood _burn_ as a familiar and old anger took him over. "You'll regret that!" All other thought vanished as he summoned up the energy for a air sphere, trying to concentrate on moving the air above his outstretched palm.

In the corner of his eye Yureg stepped forward from his position by the door, tapping Kerisa on the shoulder as he had his leg swung back for another kick. He whipped around, only to have a gloved fist crash into his cheek and slam him into the wall, the impact instantly knocking the rich brat out cold. Yureg glared down at him for a few seconds before squatting and patting the pockets on the finely made coat, quickly fishing out a small and worn key and standing back up.

He couldn't believe his ears or even his _eyes _as he slotted the key into the manacles around Korra's feet and hands, turning it and releasing the lock on them. The metal rings clattered to the ground as Yureg directed a glance at him before tossing the key into the air and turning back to the girl, grabbing a flask of water from his belt and placing it in her barely moving hand.

Tai caught it, anger tempered by confusion as he fitted the key into the locks on his manacles, surprised that it even fitted. He ignored the burning pain in his legs and everywhere else as he stood up, swaying for a moment before placing a hand on the wall for support. "Why?" He muttered.

"I don't need to tell you. Just get out of here." Yureg answered in a calm tone, despite the fact that a injured and exhausted girl held onto his shoulder for support. He glanced at her. "Avatar, this is my apology."

He moved towards Tai with a hard look in his eyes. "Your weapon is in a room at the end of the tunnel." He nodded as he shifted Korra from his shoulder and over to Tai, who quickly grabbed her shoulders to stop her from falling to the floor. Yureg glanced at Tahno. "We don't have much time."

The former Wolfbat jumped a little as if startled by the words, not looking at Korra or Tai as he nodded, moving out of the room and into the dark tunnel.

As Yureg turned to leave as well, Korra lifted her head from Tai's shoulder. "Thank you, Yureg."

He stopped for only a moment. "There's a drainage chute at the end of the tunnel. Use it." He nodded once and ran into the darkness outside the gloom filled room, leaving the two of them standing there.

Tai stared at the dark expanse outside of the doorway, completely silent as his head worked in overdrive to figure out what the hell that was about. A pained grunt from Korra tore him out of his thoughts as he directed all of his attention on her as she tried to get the cap of the flask open, hands scrabbling at the lip. "Let me." She nodded slowly as he took the flask from her steadily loosening grip, unscrewing the cap and handing it back to her.

She tipped a mouthful of the clear water within into her mouth, keeping it slightly tipped as she thought about taking another mouthful. Korra closed her eyes to lose herself in the refreshing sensation of the water going down her throat, not even caring that a few droplets had splashed onto her chin. With a gasp she swallowed and handed the flask back to Tai, who quickly screwed the cap back on and renewed his grip on her. "Well... no time to waste." She smiled weakly at the frown on him, probably due to how hoarse and small her voice was.

Every part of him ached and all he wanted to do right now was sleep for a week or so. But that wasn't going to happen unless they got out of here first. He nodded, grunting with the effort of moving forward while making sure she stayed properly supported. He thanked the fact that his boots made little to no noise on the damp concrete, but even so he still timed his steps so that he only touched down when something splashed onto the ground and echoed throughout the sewer.

He stepped out into the impenetrable darkness, standing still for a few seconds as his eyes adjusted to the pitch black, only being able to do so courtesy of the light reflecting off of the water running down the middle of the tunnel, the light from behind a nearby door providing just enough for him to see by. He caught a strange smell on the air, only to realise that it was fresh water. Close by.

That was probably where the chute Yureg mentioned emptied out. He took a step away from it towards the doorway the light shined out from, going slowly in case anyone was in there.

The sound of some show that had a guy talking about his coveted boomerang carried through, nothing but noise to him given the current situation as he stopped in front of the door, looking at the wall nearby. He glanced at Korra, her chin dipped and her face hidden from view. He tapped her shoulder gently, rousing her. "Hey. I'll be right back." He whispered to her, pointing at the wall as he guided her over.

She nodded slowly as she pushed away from his shoulder, almost failing to do so and threatening to fall backwards as she swayed for a moment. She righted herself and turned, breathing heavily as she pressed her back to the wall and nodded. "Hurry."

Tai nodded as he rolled his shoulders and neck, going into a crouch that made him grit his teeth as he forced himself to stay like that. He crept forward and placed a hand on the door, pulling it back a little as he formed a plan of dealing with whoever was inside.

The radio continued to play as he frowned, seeing four Monsoons collapsed into a groaning pile of tangled limbs. He spotted movement in the corner of his vision, whipping his head up to see the hatch on a vent cover slide shut as something moved about within.

Whoever was in there knew it wasn't going to hold, right? He shook his head and moved forward, stepping over the unconscious men and grabbing the black scabbard laid out on the table next to the radio. As soon as his hand close around it he felt safer and more able.

He grabbed the end of a loop on his sword belt which still held the scabbard, guiding it around his shoulder and under his opposite arm until both ends met over the middle of his chest. He fastened the belt tight and rolled his shoulders as they felt the familiar weight, and turned to leave the room. He looked to his left and moved towards Korra, who had slid down the wall into a sitting position, obviously unable to hold herself up for long. "Looks like someone's helping us out." He whispered, extending a hand to her.

She nodded, focusing on breathing rather than talking as she gripped his hand as tightly as she could. He hoisted her up and looped his arm over her neck and onto her shoulder once again, this time turning around and facing the opposite end of the tunnel.

Voices carried down it to them. He muttered a swear, picking up speed and keeping a firm grip on her as he went in the opposite direction. The voices grew louder and at the pace he was going he wasn't sure if they could make it to the chute in time.

His feet clanged against the grated flooring above the water as he stared down one of the other tunnels, eyes widening as he spotted a hooded figure at the end, a sword in hand and his profile almost completely swallowed by the pitch black. With no time to waste he pushed Korra into the tunnel, aiming to apologize for the rough treatment later on. If there was going to _be one_.

He tumbled into the chute after her, his view of the world quickly closing in around him against the sound of rushing water.

* * *

The truck gunned down the empty highway, belching a black cloud of smoke from its twin smokestacks on top of the driver's cab, allowing the gargantuan engine block hidden under the truck's bonnet to drive the huge machine forwards to its destination. A completely enclosed compartment sat behind the cab, three slits on each side for the occupants to look out from.

Six giant wheels supported the heavy load, connected by a intricate system of hydraulics that ensure the vehicle would stay level on even the roughest terrain. At the front sat a pointed iron prow like those usually found on one of the United Force's Ironclad tanks, although far larger and far sturdier in construction.

Asami frowned as the stars whipped by, the ability to think about what she was heading into clouded by the titanic roar of the truck's engines, which filled the back compartment of the Police truck with a incredible amount of noise.

Notably Lin managed to be heard over the din as Tenzin sat next to her, a frown on his features as he stroked his beard. "We should be coming up on Tin-La street soon, once we get there we'll rappel down and set up at the mouth of the drainage tunnel. Be ready for anything." She looked at Ishi and Washi. "I want the two of you to hang back, keep up communication with the airship patrols and update them on any move the Monsoon's make."

The two of them nodded, while nearby Makei glanced at her as he kept a firm hold on a ceiling handle. "We'll be outnumbered once down there, Kya and her Medics will be on hand to assist." He nodded to Lin.

"Lin, how will the boys contact us?" She steadied her gaze on Tenzin, sighing at what her next words will have to be.

"Boto knows of a few side access tunnels in the sewers underneath the Wharf, if they can't find Korra or Tai... they'll contact us from there in a few hours." She frowned as he nodded, knowing that he was going absolutely frantic inside. "Tenzin. She'll be fine."

A few raps on the metal fencing behind her made her turn, as the Truck lurched to a halt, the engine's rumbles dying away to nothing as the compartment stopped shuddering. "We're here, ma'am."

She nodded at the driver as Makei moved to a wheel near the back of the compartment, turning it to gradually open the doors and lower the ramp. As the middle portion of the floor fed towards the rear of the truck, separated from their feet by a carpet of steel meshing she pointed to the outside and her five officers nodded and gave off a quick salute, filing down the ramp and out into the street outside.

Tenzin was still as she started moving, and as she went past she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "They're both alright, Tenzin. Let's go." Tenzin rose and nodded to her, fixing his cloak before moving out of the truck and outside as well.

Asami followed Lin out, stepping off of the ramp and onto the middle of the street where a large square gap in the ground yawned in front of her. She moved forward and peered down it, remembering the time spent here during Amon's takeover.

* * *

土


	11. A Dark Plot, a Needed Rest, a Dark Man

土

* * *

He couldn't help lingering a little on the dark gloom pressing in around him as he walked down the tunnel, unable to tell how far until it connected to yet another intersection of other tunnels. It all looked the same and it all brought out some bad memories.

The drip of water was ever-present along with the quiet roar of the flow beneath their feet, which intermingled with the frequent hiss of a steam pipe relieving pressure somewhere in the huge expanse of twisting tunnels.

A screech sounding like the snarl of someone running their nails down a metal surface made him look down, seeing a pair of beady eyes he could only spot by the light shining into the pure black orbs, perched above a wide mouth filled with two sharp rows of teeth that could probably devour a Ostrich-Horse in short notice or easily transmit disease to anyone unfortunate to come into contact.

Mako grimaced at the sight of the fin sitting on its back, covered in tangled mangy fur that was more than likely matted down with blood or something even more turgid.

A swarm of those things had nearly gotten Bolin one time he was lost in the sewers. He growled and pushed the old thoughts that he thought he had _forgotten_ away, focusing on a far more urgent matter.

He growled again as he saw more and more of the same impenetrable darkness ahead, made even thicker without a naked flame to guide him or the others with. "Where are we _exactly?_" He hissed at Boto's back. He needed to _find her_, and quick.

The waterbender glanced back at him as his shoulders rose and slumped as if he sighed. "Closer to the inhabited part of the base. It makes sense that Rorik and his followers would be based as far away from any entrances underground as possible."

"I think we've been walking _for hours_." The waterbender hid a amused smirk as Bolin's wild estimation lifted his spirits a little, something he felt was needed whenever he encountered Rorik or the Monsoons.

"Close. We've been down here for a hour or so." He chuckled at the earthbender groan, secretly a little disturbed himself that they hadn't run into anybody at all yet, only Shark-Rats and Croc-Dogs so far, which despite the name made quite lovely household pets. "Gets a little disorienting down here. Doesn't it?"

"A little..." The earthbender trailed off and Boto frowned at the short whisper his voice had, sounding very much unlike him.

He stopped for a moment as he spotted a corner turn up ahead, glad that his sight had been tested in more than a few blizzards during his childhood. He started as he felt a few presences up ahead, almost being able to taste the texture of the... liquids within them if he could try. That thought scared him as it usually did, he gritted his teeth as he reached out towards the presences, swearing a tinge of red edged his vision as he did so.

"Ergh." He blanched as his vision went a deeper shade of crimson, and he could feel the liquids inside of a bunch of Shark-Rats ahead. "Just some more rats." He muttered at Mako and Bolin's confused faces.

They continued on from there as he shook the bad taste out of his mouth from sensing the two animals. He led them around the corner, and for a few minutes only the echoes of their feet on the wet brickwork could be heard as they retreated into their own thoughts for a bit.

The continued absence of any signs of human life got him, and he had barely noticed that the ground underneath his feet had dried a little as it started to rise up in a gradual slope. He stopped as he saw a lantern up ahead, flickering and burning away as it cast a light on the dark surroundings.

"There's a chair and a table next to it. A lookout. We're finally here."

"Good." Mako scowled as he moved past Boto and up the gradually ramping tunnel, eyes firmly directed forwards as all unnecessary thoughts and distractions left his head, leaving only a burning desire to bring her back to safety. He didn't notice the look of concern that briefly flashed on Bolin as he followed him up, and Mako almost rolled his eyes to see that he was doing that thing with his fingers again.

As a kid it was fine. But he's much older now. Still, as he looked back at his brother, seeing the tense way he kept glancing at the walls around them, or how he seemed to have shrunken down in size as if the space was pressing on him, he supposed it was natural for him to do that. "Mako." He looked up, arching a eyebrow as Boto stood in front of a turn into another tunnel, illuminated by a barely there lantern that looked about ready to fall apart. "I'm going to scout ahead for a little bit, I'll be back in five minutes."

"Wait. Why do that?" The whole point of them being here was to get Korra and Tai out of here. Nothing more. Obviously Boto had something more in mind.

"We still need to determine where the White Lotus's sword is, and if possible get it out of here and back to Yem." Mako didn't much care for the fact that he had completely forgotten about that sword, and didn't really care for anything else apart from finding her. "Even if you don't trust her, she's White Lotus." Mako grimaced and almost pulled a face at his partner's words.

He sighed and folded his arms together. "Don't get caught."

Boto turned and did that good-natured smile of his, before slipping around the corner and out of the lantern's light, and into the darkness ahead of them.

Mako leant against the nearby wall, picking a dry spot closest to the lantern as his thoughts whirled. He wasn't even sure if he could last a _minute_ just waiting here. It was logical though and more than likely it would turn out to be more productive than just charging in and busting down every door they could find. He caught a glimpse of Bolin's downcast eyes, taking him out of those angry thoughts and into the now. "Feels weird being down here."

No answer, not that he expected one. He sighed as he folded his arms against his chest and looked at his feet, a stray thought thankful that his patrol boots were waterproofed. He shook the thought away as he noticed some movement from Bolin.

"Yeah, last time was back during - You know."

"Amon's takeover. That was messed up." He chuckled, more for his little brother's sake as thoughts about back then eventually turned to topics other than Chi Blockers and Mecha Tanks. Even if he didn't want them to, sometimes his thoughts still turned to what he could have or should have done back then, or how he should have handled things much better. If he could go back in time, he would slap his past self around for making those stupid decisions.

He didn't want to go any further into that sort of stuff, but he found the alternative wasn't so good either. "I should have seen this coming." he muttered quietly, seeing the sympathetic look coming from his brother put all of his thoughts into a tangle as he couldn't stop himself from focusing on what went wrong.

"Bro'... It's okay. Everything'll be fine." Bolin felt that his words were pretty flimsy, so it didn't surprise him to see that Mako hadn't even lifted a eyebrow or made any kind of expression. He fell quiet, stabbing the tips of his index fingers against each other as his thoughts went in random directions, making him lose his train of thought.

"I could have checked, I could have gone with her, but then I had to _train him_, so I-" He shook his head and laughed with a bit of bitterness. "No. It's not his fault. Just mine." He looked up at his little brother, seeing that concerned look he liked to have whenever he started to get like this.

Footsteps stopped him from beating himself up any more as Boto appeared from the darkness, almost as quiet as a whisper. Mako arched a eyebrow at the folder he held in his hands, and arched it even further at the dark look he had looking down at it. It disappeared as he looked up at him. "I know where the sword is."

But the sword wasn't even far from Mako's mind at the moment. "Did you find her?!"

Immediately Boto shook his head with a sigh. "I'm afraid not, I think I found the cell they were kept in, but all I picked up was that someone had been unconscious in there recently. Not good." He looked down at the floor as he chewed his lip. "Let's get going. I can pick up their trail near a running source of water, one of the drainage chutes should do."

The two brothers nodded as one and followed him around the corner and into the darkness of the tunnels once more. It was disorienting for Mako and Bolin as the dark pressed in around them, dulling their eyesight and forcing them to rely on smell and hearing to get by. "Y'know, you think I'd get used to these tunnels by now..." Mako smirked at the ringing wham of his brother's face slamming into a pipe, getting a angry squeak in response. "...Guess not."

He knew it was out of place for him to have something like that to laugh at, but he guessed that in a place like this he'd need it. He didn't realise he was chewing his lip as he watched his moving feet. Although the situation could get worse at any moment, he didn't have much time to work with. But he could still take a little pleasure in seeing Bolin abuse his face like that.

His chuckle was short, but worth it because of the surprised pout on Bolin.

They continued forward, following Boto as he rounded another corner into yet another tunnel. The waterbender stopped and notice a brick sticking out a scant inch above the others and bent down to investigate why its top face was painted almost completely in dried crimson paint. "Marker." he muttered as he stood back up, now able to smell the substances being carried in a nearby source of running wate. Four of them, in almost equidistant direction from where he stood. "Looks like we're smack in the middle of their base."

Bolin's eyes boggled for a moment as he nearly squeaked, thinking that a hundred pairs of ice-cold eyes stood in the very shadows around them, just waiting to take control of their bodies and... eat them? Was that what bloodbenders do? "In the middle?! But, the tunnels before... it all looks the same!" He nearly shouted the last part, but managed to clamp his mouth shut at the thought of impending death by cannibalism.

"The bricks beyond this painted one have been dried, I'm guessing they use waterbending to keep their section of the sewers free of any water that could rust their current shipment of contraband. But if you listen closely..." He kept moving forward for a few moments until something metal clanged under his feet. In the darkness, his eyes adjusted readily to the light reflecting from the water underneath the floor grating. "Clever, this is a substation for water treatment, they can access any amount of water they want whenever they choose."

"So where are _they?_" He screwed his eyes shut for a moment, feeling for the center of his being where the flow of chi started from. It was difficult to master or even try, but it was possible to detect the movement of liquid in all kinds of places. Katara taught him this by asking him to detect where a glacial flow had originated from, or where the entrance to a series of caverns buried under the ice and snow was situated. Of course that had the luxury of tracking the currant occupant by its footprints and tracks. Here... he had to detect the liquid inside of a person to do so. He had kept his lessons on bloodbending hidden from Korra for a reason.

keeping his eyes shut he slowly lifted a arm as he felt his vision pulse and ebb like water, and could almost taste every single molecule of liquid in their immediate vicinity. He opened his eyes and saw that his left arm was pointed almost directly to the side through a solid brick wall with a line of iron bars at the top. "Through there, there's a massive reservoir of water at the bottom, and people standing on top of it."

"I know what that is." Mako looked his partner, excitement in his eyes at how they were finally getting somewhere in this forsaken dump. "Treatment chamber. Water's fed in from several small rooms with pipes going down. She couldn't be down there though."

"No. But here's something else: A smaller source of water nearby, in a drain chute I'm guessing, its carrying some kind of scent." He flashed a smile at Mako. "Korra and Tai have already escaped."

He should have felt nothing but joy or happiness that she was out of danger. But strangely enough jealousy was in there as well. He quelled and dismissed it as a stray emotion. Nothing more. He nodded once at Boto as he caught the big massive smile on Bolin in the corner of his eye. "Good. Let's get there the-"

"We need to see what the Monsoons are up to, Mako. We can't leave just yet."

"What!" His hands shook as irrational thoughts whirled through him. What if she was hurt? What if something happened to her because he wasn't there _again?_ But once again, the logical part of him won out. So he swallowed and nodded curtly with narrowed eyes.

"It won't take long. We'll just be observing. A minute than we can go."

He smiled apologetically before moving walking further up the tunnel towards a small alcove, gesturing for them to follow as he stopped near it and knelt down to peer through the grated hole in the wall.

Mako grumbled as he pushed past Boto, who moved aside for him to kneel down and peer through the slits of open air inbetween the grate plates. The majority of the Monsoons below all gathered in a circle around the perimeter of the room, either kneeling or standing with heads bowed towards the man with the shark-smile standing in the center of the room, definitely Rorik, who held some kind of length of gray cloth wrapped around something.

But the hooded figure next to him, the one whose face was completely hidden inside impenetrable shadow and standing completely still was a complete mystery to him. He looked as if he wasn't even standing there to begin with. Intangible was the word. But the presence of the gray leather handle protuding out from behind the hood drew his attention.

Put ten or twenty years on Tai and that could be him standing there. Even if he couldn't see them he couldn't shake the feeling that the man's eyes were focusing him. He gritted his teeth as he moved away from the grate and glanced at Boto. "They're all down there, gathered around Rorik and some hooded guy.

"Wait. A hooded guy?" His brother and Boto glanced back at him as he began pushing the tips of his fingers together again, the memory of nearly freezing during a blizzard in the Southern Water Tribe's capital coming to mind. The hooded guy that attacked them and nearly took out Tai. Was it the same person? "We ran into someone like that while we were staying in Inna during the New Moon Festival. Remember Bro?"

"Yeah. I passed out trying to find you guys." He looked at the floor for a moment, not liking what the memory was doing to his self worth. He shook his head. "In any case it looks like Rorik's holding the object that was stolen from Yem."

Boto nodded and moved towards the grate, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes and concentrated. His vision tinged red, and he felt a small buzzing inside his head as he focused on the internal liquids inside the people below.

It was disconcerting seeing a human body as a tangle of warm red lines and nerve connections. It always unnerved him horribly, but he wasn't going to stop using it just because it scared him a little, Korra was his friend first and he wouldn't lose his nerve. It was hard to concentrate on the liquids in the room below while talking. "There's a large group of people in the room below... they're all... Gathered around two figures... And..." He gasped as he felt the _absence of life_ streaming from the human outline he could see standing in the center of the room, but unlike the one next to it, so full of life and a blood-drenched excitement, this one was cold and unfeeling. _Grey._

Any further attempts at focusing on it put dark thoughts in him, and for a moment his head and heart pounded as one. "Boto, what's wrong?" He barely felt the tap as his shoulders shook terribly, and his head continued to relentlessly pound. He found he was sweating uncontrollably as he moved away from the grate.

"The hooded guy is off." He muttered as he shook his head, placing a hand on his forehead at the same time.

As Boto recovered Mako took over with looking through the grate, seeing that Rorik was starting to unwrap the grey cloth from around the Tuning Blade. As the cloth fell away from the long and slender black case he felt a little anxious as to what could be inside, all kinds of depictions going through his head as Rorik held the case high amongst his followers, possibly promising a promised day of some kind that would usher in a golden age for the new world order. Or something he felt was appropriate. He couldn't help arching his eyebrow at the small shark-toothed dagger being held for the room to see instead.

He looked away from the grate and stood up, looking at Bolin and Boto. "Well, they've definitely got a blade, but I think its shorter than expected. I don't know what good its going to do them. Can we go now?"

"Yes." Boto shook his head to ensure that everything had cleared up, and smiled as he carefully took Bolin's hand away from his shoulder. "I'm fine, Bolin. Using my abilities like that just takes it out of me."

Bolin was unsure, but nodded anyway as the two of them followed Mako down the tunnel, quickly treading over the ground they had previously covered before suddenly swinging into a new direction as he led them towards a intersection of tunnels,which held a drainage chute on the wall.

The sound of running water reached Boto's ears, but the scent of Korra and Tai didn't. "Mako, this isn't the right chute-"

Mako growled as he whipped around in the darkness, trying to find the tunnel that would take them to another when he heard the sound of footsteps and shouting coming towards them. "Urgh! No time, get in!" Without any hesitation he threw himself through the gap and into the running waters below, holding his breath just as he felt the water punch him in the stomach and head as it took him down the pipe and through dizzying turns.

A constant barrage of roaring water assaulted his ears as he tumbled without direction and without knowing time.

Soon enough he felt the direction of the torrent leveling out and the water slow just a little it carried him forwards. He could hear Bolin's gargles and swears behind him, and Boto's mutterings as well, so at least they had followed him into the chute and out of danger.

The absence of the water surprised him as his head finally broke the surface, until he realized that he was now hanging in the air. He crashed to the floor with a grunt, the breath taken out of him as he coughed and sputtered to clear his lungs. He felt raw and aching all over as he shakily stood up, swaying a little as his mind worked to recollect the required thoughts to function again.

As it did this he swore he could hear a strange hum reaching his ears, but dismissed as he focused on getting his breath back and helping Bolin to his feet. The darkness ahead was impenetrable and he could only tell that there was no wall blocking their way because of the water which rushed under their feet down the tunnel's length, presumably to a large treatment chamber.

He ran a palm down his face as the coughing subside and he shook his head. "Okay. We'll follow this tunnel, meet up with the others. From there we'll head for the-" That strange sound reached his ears again. Louder and far more vivid as he felt his head start to pound. He started forwards as he willed his battered muscles to work, ignoring the added weight his drenched clothes added on as he started to walk down the tunnel.

The sound entered his head this time, and he nearly stumbled and fell from the pounding his head started doing. "What the hell is that?!" He muttered as he stopped, looking back to seek the opinions of the others.

Bolin was slumped over, and Boto's eyes looked almost _grey_ rather than their normal ice-blue. "Guys?"

The sound entered his head again, rising in pitch as his head began to pound. He gritted his teeth as he resisted the urge to yell and scream, holding both sides of his head as he doubled over and started to shake from the effort. Mako caught sight of a approaching hooded figure, grey eyes vividly noticeably from the darkness of the hood.

"I require you." A deep voice intoned.

* * *

Considering where he had been for the last few hours, the fire's warmth felt like _paradise _to him. Although it did take a lot out of him just to get a spark going. And the smell from burning the paper and rubbish inside the barrel almost felled him, which he felt was due to that enhanced sense of smell he found so useful. In most cases.

He flicked his wrist as he sat with his legs spread out and knees bent, feeling a little spark dancing on the tip of his index finger before he sent it into the heart of the fire to keep it going to stave off the cold and damp of the tunnel. He rubbed the back of his head, running his hand over what he was sure would become another roster of bruises and scratches to add to his repertoire of physical injury.

His chuckle was short but sweet. Korra would _love healing him _after they got home from this. He sighed as his gaze swung over to where she was now, he wasn't sure if she was just sleeping or actually unconscious, as it looked very uncomfortable for her to be sleeping on her side like that, but she was now resting easy.

He could if he wanted to, but that meant he'd have to drop his guard in case Rorik and his Monsoons showed up. Although that was unlikely as he ran his gaze over a circle shaped bulge in the wall nearby, the miniscule gap between it and the rest of the wall dripping a constant curtain of water onto the bricks under it. She earthbent the chute closed somehow, just as they were both out she managed to stay awake long enough to move the bricks and earth around in the chute.

But when he saw the golden hue her eyes had, he knew she was using the state in some kind of instinctive way. He guessed it was kind of similar to how he defaulted to airbending most of the time.

Of course, he could have been seeing things. Running on fumes tended to do things to a person. That made him chuckle for a few seconds before devolving into a coughing fit. Guess that still applied. It was just grit he was running on now.

A flicker in the flames drew his attention, he kept his gaze on it to check if it happened again. He raised his hand and stared at his palm for a moment, wondering if there was something wrong with his firebending. Maybe he needed to use it more often.

Along with the flicker was a strange barely-there hum, something that most definitely wasn't a product of his bending. He listened close, having a idea that he may have heard the sound before. But it fell silent before he could take a guess. At least the fire had stopped flickering.

"Tai? Where are we?" His eyes widened for a moment at how hoarse her voice was, but he fixed that with a small smile as he turned towards her, moving a little closer in case she need any help.

"Just outside the chute."

"But wait a moment - The Monsoons, they'll-" He grinned as he pointed at the circular bulge of earth on the wall nearby.

"You took care of that, they won't be able to come through."

She sighed, wincing a little at how hard it was to move with all her muscles protesting at once. She blanched a little at the sight of all the bruises and cuts going down her arms. But as she looked at him, and then at the fire she allowed herself a little smile. "Safe at last." she murmured.

"Heh. Took us long enough." She nodded as her fingers touched the blanket over her, she stopped for a moment as her fingers continued to explore the blanket's surface, finding a large hole on both sides on the end of a small length. This was a pretty strange blanket. It also occurred to her that Tai wasn't wearing the coat he loved so much, instead just a grey T-shirt which in no way would have kept him warm enough down here. Oh.

Korra's cheeks reddened. She had an idea why he wore it all the time as she grasped a bit of the smooth fabric in her fingertips and rubbed them back and forth, marveling at how warm the fabric became. Maybe she could ask him where he got it from?

The question balanced on the tip of her tongue as she looked at him, seeing the massive blue welt on his cheek from that rich brat's kick and the way he kept shifting his weight. He was hurt. Because of her. The inane question disappeared as she looked at the floor for a moment, knowing this wasn't the first time he put himself in danger like this. "I don't thank you enough. Do I?"

As she expected he started a bit before looking at her, probably thinking of some way to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal to him or how he could handle it. "You don't need to." What he murmured surprised her a little.

Of course she needed to! What was he thinking?! "Spirits..." She muttered, a little annoyed at how he seemed to be dismissing being held captive by _bloodbenders_ just for _her sake_. She hated it when anyone did that, especially someone as reckless as him! But she couldn't let him know that. "I should have been more careful. About him." The subject of Tahno was a confusing one. He led her into a trap, and right after she gave his bending back even!... Normally he should have had that trademarked smirk of his on the entire time. But all she saw from him was...Regret.

Her vision dimmed for a moment. She shouldn't be doing this kind of thinking right now, what she needed was her bed and Naga. "It wasn't your fault. He took advantage of you." She couldn't help shuddering at the dark light shining in his grey eyes as his hands clenched and unclenched. "_He's the one_ who should be careful."

She wasn't so sure that Tahno could be that selfish. "Yeah." She didn't quite think that he deserved to be beaten within a inch of his life though, she was sure he had his reasons. And she would resolve to find out why as soon as she got out of here. Her vision dimmed again and she gritted her teeth, holding a hand to her forehead as her sense of balance shifted terribly for a second, making it feel like she was falling when she was sitting still. "Tai." He looked straight at her as she reached a hand to her hip, hoping to Yue that her flask was still there.

As her fingers closed around the rough sealskin that kept the container both watertight and airtight she sighed with relief. She didn't want to lose Katara's gift to her down here. Her fingers scrabbled for the length of string holding it on her pants. They found the knot, and even though she currently had the dexterity of a ice block she managed to undo the knot, although she failed to grab the flask before it slipped away from her grasp.

Tai flicked his wrist and curled his fingers as he stood up, making up a small stream of suction through the air between him and the falling flask. It spun around in the air as it flew into his grasp, he bent down as he shook it to gauge what was inside. Barely a drop. He frowned as Korra swayed a little and continued to grit her teeth, he spotted a small canal running along the edge of the wall nearby and quickly moved to it.

A metal grate covered the canal full of running water but that was no obstacle to him as he whipped up a air sphere in the palm of his free hand. One twisted square of metal hitting the wall later and he had full access to the water. Wasting no time he dipped the flask in, holding it under for a few seconds to fill it up to the brim.

He moved back to Korra, sitting down in front of her and offering the flask. She shook her head. "You hold it. I can get the water." She probably didn't know this about him, but as he couldn't help the fascination at watching a ribbon of water slowly spiral its way through the air, free of the container as Korra slowly moved her fingers in gentle arcing movements. He thought it was pointless to tell her since it was just some weird fascination of his.

Korra formed the ribbon around itself, wrapping it around and around until it resembled a rough ball-shaped blob. She sighed as the water pulsed and glowed brilliantly for a second before dying down to a dimmer but no less radiant brightness. As she pressed the blob of water to her forehead, instantly her mind felt much clearer and less murky. "Thanks." She smirked at the airbender, who nodded and smiled in return.

"No problem." He fell quiet, and she joined him in a comfortable silence as she ran the ball over her face, slowly shrinking the bruises and cuts to more manageable sizes and shapes. "So how come you're so good at healing?"

She laughed for a few seconds, and for a moment she almost laughed louder at the shocked look on him. "Katara got tired of fixing my scrapes and bruises for me, so she decided it was best that I learn to do it myself." She shrugged, feeling a little ache as she lifted her shoulder but ignoring it. "Besides. I thought that since Mom knew how to heal, I thought that I should as well." Korra tilted her head at her friend's curious expression, wondering what he was thinking.

"Well... I guess you need some way to tone down the manliness." He sniggered as her jaw started to hang, and she raised her fist to slam him one in the shoulder.

"I- That is _so sexist!_" Her fist flew into his shoulder, doing nothing more than knocking dust from his shirt sleeve as he continued to laugh.

"Wow! I didn't know you knew that word!" His laugh echoed off the walls of the tunnel, joining the flicker of the flames nearby. Incredibly she started to laugh as well.

"Hey Tai. Take off your _shirt_." The wicked gleam in her eyes freaked him out a little, and he gulped as he looked at her.

This was gonna hurt.

* * *

"Why have I gotta carry you?" He grumbled, rolling his shoulders underneath Korra's weight as he walked down the dark and damp tunnel, another in a dizzying number he was sure had reached above a hundred now.

"Because I healed you. Because you called me _manly_. And because you are a little more healthier than I am right now. Now _faster!_" She chuckled at his groan, although her head still continued to pound courtesy of the energy she used in healing him. That was probably the biggest factor in how exhausted she now was.

The constant sound of water dripping from the ceiling onto the tunnel floor got to her as well, lulling her thoughts and not helping in keeping her alert in case they ran into any trouble ahead. She hit upon a idea. "Hey, I don't think I've ever asked: how come you can bend fire and air?"

"Couldn't think of a better question than that?" He sighed as he shifted her weight around a little. "I already told you: Mom was a airbender and Dad was a firebender. I'm their kid so logically..." He arched a eyebrow at her curious expression. "Okay. Mom told me it was simply genetics or something scientific like that. Well to be more accurate, the ability to bend skipped him completely and went over to me." He shrugged. "Got no clue why.

"I think I was looking for a better explanation than that." She admitted, she had always been a little curious as to why he could do both airbending and firebending. Tai's mention of his mother brought up a thought. She could ask _her_. Her thoughts slowed to a crawl as she felt her head spin and her eyes flutter. "Okay, tell me something else."

"Like what?" He looked over his shoulder at her, following the purer streams of air flowing in the middle of the tunnel using his nose.

"Well... I don't know." She felt her eyes flutter again, and she struggled to keep them open and her mind alert.

He put his mind to work, thinking up something that she may find interesting to keep her awake. He felt a little unsure about saying it to _her_ though. "Okay... I don't think I've ever talked about Telei."

"Your old master?"

"Yeah. After what happened to my village-" He paused to make sure he was truly ready of saying this out loud. It may have happened years ago but it still weighed on him _so much._ "I met a old man on the road. At the time I was cold and hungry, and I just wanted the loaf bread he carried in his arms. Incredibly he just gave it to me... _just like that_, I didn't know what to say or even do, but I knew that he was my ticket to staying alive and moving forward." He paused again, the memories of those dark and dreary days threatening to overwhelm him and stop him cold. But he soldiered on, determined to make sure she would be awake when they got to the others. "He took me in when I showed him I could airbend and what I could do with my sword. Three years I spent with him, learning how to make a tornado, how to whip up the wind, how to stay fast and silent. He taught it all to me. Among other things."

"I think I see Tenzin." Korra murmured as her chin dropped onto his shoulder. He stopped for a moment, trying to peer past the bright light and into whatever lay beyond it.

The room ahead was large, huge even, enough to house several airships at once with room to spare between them. It also looked familiar to him as he moved closer, shifting her weight on him again as he felt a old ache in his ankle surface, trying to slow him down. He wouldn't let it though, he continued forward and ignored the rising pain in his foot as the tunnel widened out into the massive open space, with a large gap showing the night sky up above.

"Gommu's hobo-city." He muttered. He shook his head as he spotted a group of armored people ahead, all looking at him with a orange robed bald figure calmly walking towards them, a warm smile and a look of concern in his eyes. "And Teacher." he added, moving forwards as fast as he could without losing his balance or letting Korra slip from his back.

He stopped in front of Tenzin, a smile on his lips as he lifted his arm up made a fist with his hand. He extended his thumb straight up as he spotted Asami moving closer as well, a look of concern on her. He didn't think it was necessary, they were safe now. "Got her."

Tenzin didn't say anything, but moved forward around to his side, reaching a hand to Korra's shoulder. "Korra." He spoke quietly, just loud enough to rouse her as she opened her eyes.

"Tenzin..." She whispered as Tai slowly knelt down so the bottoms of her boots could touch the ground. She swayed a little and nearly lost her balance as she tried to step away from his back, her arms flailed before she managed to grip Tai's shoulders again to steady herself, ready for attempt two.

Tai heard footstep behind him, and as Korra managed to step away from his back and stand on her own power before being supported by both Tenzin and Asami, he heard Mako's voice close behind him. "Thanks for that, Tai."

He turned, rubbing the back of his head as he fought the urge to arch his eyebrow at how quietly Mako managed to approach him, from behind and in such a open space like this. "Good to see you're not injured." He nodded, a little suspicious of the way his eyes failed to catch that usual fiery glint he had. A dark whisper spoke in his thoughts and a chill swept across his back. He turned, coming face to face with a hooded figure, eyes hidden within the depths of the hood.

That's-

The airbender whipped around to face Mako again, questions forming as something of immense pressure and strength pushed into his chest. His eyes boggled as the fireball being shoved into his chest lost stability, and the flames sent him tumbling back, away from Korra, away from Tenzin as pain and confusion wracked his body.

What the hell was wrong with him?! The question had to wait as he came to a halt, managing to snake his sword out of its scabbard, stabbing it into the metal floor to support him as he stood up. It hurt for him to breath as he stared at the firebender, now collapsed on the floor and hardly breathing. But the hooded figure now faced him, sword drawn as he slowly approached.

He went to sprint forwards when a flurry of cables whooshed overhead and speared towards the hooded man, who stopped and looked up slightly, tilting his head as if questioning their approach.

As Tai's head spun and question continued to whirl he heard Lin shouting some kind of cry as her shadow covered him and the tip of a wideset blade on her arm gleamed, pointed straight at the unmoving figure in front of him.

Even as the storm of wires flew closer and closer, and Lin Beifong dropped towards him with her armblade outstretched he still didn't move a muscle.

It was only when the very air itself vibrated around him and when Tai felt the breath being taken away from him for a moment did he actually move. And he knew as soon as the hooded figure did, that it was _him_.

Lin's battlecry changed into a surprised grunt as a fist slammed into her stomach, so strong that she could feel the full brunt of it in her ribs. She gasped for air as she stared with widened eyes at the hooded figure, who almost seemed to shrug as he whipped around her and planted his boot in her back, getting a rare unadulterated scream out of her as she tumbled with the speed of a missile towards the ground, nearly slamming into it at a bone-breaking speed when a orange robed figure crashed into her and held on, splaying out a palm and slowing his fall towards the ground.

The hooded figure flicked his wrist, and the three wires closest to him whipped around and fishtailed immediately, spearing themselves towards the ground and burying in deep, with the other wires following suit. The hooded figure touched down on the ground, and turned to look at him.

Tai gritted his teeth as questions continued to hound him, shakily holding his blade out in front as a barrier between him and the powerful figure, who just effortlessly wiped the floor with the greatest metalbender in the world and her officers. He kept his eyes glued to the front, focusing on nothing but the hooded figure, remembering his mother's lessons as he recognised the telltale signs of a duel.

It was hard remembering that far back, but it was all about the footwork and coordination. He focused on where his feet where, only to realise his mistake as the hooded figure closed in on him in the blink of a eye, the tip of the blade in his hands about pierce Tai's stomach.

He was too slow.

But Tenzin wasn't, from his position nearby he held his hands up and put them together, forming a ball of air that spun faster than any natural tornado or typhoon. He splayed his palm and shunted all of the air forwards, resulting in a gale force stream that slammed into the hooded figure and sent him tumbling, the sword nearly being torn from his grasp. With the closest danger now gone he rushed to his student's side, seeing that he was rooted to the spot, with his skin the same color as his eyes.

He watched his surroundings like a hawk for the hooded figure, but couldn't see any movement. The entire space was dead quiet, apart from the pained gasps of Lin and her officers, he glanced down at her to check that she was fine before looking back up to continue scanning the massive space for a sign of his presence.

A whisper of air tickled the lobe of his ear. His eyes narrowed as he turned, trialing his arms in flowing movements in preparation at what would surely be the hooded figure bearing down on them.

But a different sight met his eyes.

Korra's alarmed gasp drew his attention to the firebender currently being held up by the hooded man, the naked curve of a blade catching the light from above as it pressed into Makos neck, with just enough pressure to get a few drops of blood out. He glanced behind himself and saw that Tai was still rooted to the spot, his skin pale and eyes wide with fear, and his sword now completely abandoned and left lying on the ground.

He heard the slightest whisper in his mind. _Tenzin, It has been a long time_.

Tenzin gritted his teeth as he stared into the dark depths of the hood, seeing the barest hints of grey that burned with hidden anger and arrogance.

The hood shook a little as the man tilted his head, still keeping a close grip on the blade as he saw the petrified boy behind Tenzin's shoulder. _My student, still weak as ever_.

His eyes were like a hawk's as they landed on Korra and the pale girl supporting her. Tenzin could sense a amused smile forming within the dark depths of the hood. The entire room was silent except for the muffled thud of far off machinery, the air thick with tension as he waited, wishing he knew how to predict what would happen next.

The hooded man was still the same, silent and still with the blade still held to Mako's neck and his attention still directed at the young Avatar who fought to keep herself even barely conscious. She gritted her teeth as desperation welled within her at the realisation she had no _idea_ what to do.

The entire room was silent and still for a second until the very air itself vibrated with unrestrained raw rage. "YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!" A wave of overpressure slammed into Lin and the officers next to her, sending them tumbling as a missile of spinning wind, tipped by the point of a outstretched blade shot straight towards the hooded man.

He stood there, still calm and still holding the blade to Mako as he lifted his free arm slowly and purposefully. The boy contained inside the spinning tunnel of wind roared with fury, grey eyes almost ablaze as he and his sword reached within a hairsbreadth of the hooded man and Mako.

And then his passage was halted, with a flick of his wrist the wind around Tai collapsed completely as the air rushed out of his lungs and his throat began to constrict. He gurgled and gasped as he floated in the air, writhing in agony as numbness spread across his muscles and into his thoughts.

He was too slow.

"NO!" In Tai's dimming vision he saw the grey eyes inside the hood absolutely light up like this was what he wanted. As his body twisted around he caught a view of Korra, her fatigue gone, replaced by a golden fury in her eyes as she walked forwards, a maelstrom of fire and water encasing her and her fury.

A flash of light blinded everyone in the room, leaving the Metalbenders in a daze as a few of them collapsed to the floor. Tenzin felt wind blowing across his face, and a few moments later, as everything fell silent and the room was calm he opened his eyes, seeing both Mako and Tai collapsed on the floor.

After a minute of keeping his eyes searching he stopped and released the breath he held, glancing behind his shoulder to see Asami white-faced after seeing Korra's power, with a look of something approaching fear on her at the Water Tribe gal now unconscious in her arms. Far behind all of this Bolin and Boto limped into the massive space from a dark tunnel nearby.

In the instant the Korra had unleashed her fury and grief, Tenzin heard one sound coming from the hooded man. A pleased chuckle.

* * *

土


	12. The Calm, the Rest, the Surprise

_Sewer Access Tunnel B-35, Republic City._

* * *

Lin rubbed her arm as she grunted in annoyance, mainly steamed at how easily she was _swatted _out of the air by some guy with a hood. Who the hell was he anyway?

It didn't matter, she was just lucky he didn't stick around long enough for her to do some real damage to his insides. And she didn't care for that sword of his either, to her it just meant she had more metal to _bend_ and _break_.

He ever shows up again, and she would have the entire airship fleet ready to pounce on him. He would not get away again. "Sir?"

Lin glanced over her shoulder, seeing Nisha quietly approach. She was a good officer. "Lieutenant?" She turned away from watching the foggy waters to face her subordinate, who currently wore one of the standard issue dark trenchcoats her metalbenders seemed to favor. It was said that when her mother marched into the Golden Street Tailors, earthbent a chair and fly kicked the cashier in the face after he tried to give her some perfume and demanded clothes that could match the elite, that the owners of the store considered that day their greatest day ever, of all time.

Of course, that was most likely the embellished modern version. Although knowing her mother she wasn't so sure. "Commander Makei and Sergeant Hei have found them." Lin nodded, wiping thoughts of the hooded man and trench coats away from her mind and putting it to more professional pursuits. She followed Nisha away from the edge of the quietly lapping water and past the side of a softly rumbling Police Truck, who driver was currently resting his head on the wheel and drooling all over the place.

She sighed at the unprofessional sight but didn't make a case of it, and stuck to moving towards the black mouth of a tunnel just ahead, the iron gates barring access easily opened by her and Makei just a few minutes ago.

Makei and Hei stood side-by-side their wires trained on a ill-matched pair only sharing the shade of blue in their eyes.

He glanced at her as she moved past him, coming to a stop and folding arms over one another as she kept her eyes narrowed. "You've got a lot of stones showing your faces to us."

The one on the right merely nodded, and looked as if a simple breeze could send him flying or a little bit of sun could completely tan him in the space of a few minutes.

"That stunt you pulled with Avatar Korra nearly went south." Makei definitely felt it wasn't worth the risk, what happened to Korra _wasn't_ the plan.

"You're telling me." From his position leaning on the wall nearby, shadows covering his entirety, Lin could only just make out Boto, who had a dark and unreadable look on him. "Handing her over like that wasn't necessary. She isn't some _tool_."

Boto stopped himself as best as he could, he couldn't let any emotion come into this, no matter if she was his old and pretty much only friend for a good number of years; they had a job to do.

"There aren't exactly many ways for me to get their trust and besides, it's already paid off. Yureg here has something for you to look at." Tahno stepped back a bit to allow him to move forward and hand a series of sheets to commander Beifong.

She arched a eyebrow at what she was looking at. "These are shipping manifests for the South Pole." Her mind whirled as she raced to figure out what Rorik could possibly be doing down in the South Pole, by her knowledge there weren't that many opportunities for criminal enterprise down there.

"Yep. And looks like one particular freighter has been popping up in the records a lot more than the others. It's called the _Moonflow_."

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

Just as he feared.

He squinted a little as the early morning sun peeked out from cloud cover's edge, giving the large banded formation a golden-hued edge and shining a brilliant radiance down on the waters just off the island. The sky was beginning to warm, changing from a calm and nuanced grey to a much warmer and vibrant orange and pink. All in all one of the best sunrises he had ever seen over Republic City.

Still, not even the sky being at its best and most invigorating did very little effect at taking his mind out of the past. Seeing _him_ here, in Republic City, and back in the South Pole couldn't be a coincidence. He definitely has something in mind concerning Korra, and Tenzin had a feeling Tai might end up getting dragged into it as well. What was even more disturbing than that was the very possibility that he was alive at all, when that village was destroyed so thoroughly by the United Forces so long ago he and his father both hoped that he had been finally taken care of good.

Even his father and their friends could barely stop him at the time.

And the disturbing idea that he could be after Korra kept growing as the only possibility he even decided to show himself. What Telei had done to Mako had him on edge, bringing him many dark memories back to the days when he was at his most active, forming groups all over the world in Ba Sing Se, in the Fire Nation and even in the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. All for that insane goal of his. All for a day Tenzin always failed to forget.

He found himself stroking his beard and realized he was still looking at the early morning sky through the nearby window. The heavy thoughts disappeared at the sound of a knock on the door at the other end of the room. He looked up at the sound, moving away from the window and clasping his hands behind his back as he crossed the distance from his desk to the door in a few long strides.

A stray thought had him thinking it was Pema on the other end, probably asking if he was coming down for breakfast soon, but as he opened the door and saw the young General standing there he got rid of the stray thought. "General Iroh? Come in." He also noticed a even younger-by-comparison man of Water Tribe descent standing behind him, idly adjusting the royal purple half-cloak on his shoulders.

The young man, who had hurriedly just put down his hand after having it raised for another knock, straightened and inclined his head, stepping through as Tenzin stepped aside to give him entry into his study. "I apologize for the early morning visit, but I did some digging about the hooded man you told me about." He glanced at Verick behind him as he said this. "Part of the digging involves Verick as well."

Tenzin nodded as he moved deeper into the room, a little bit of anxiety surfacing concerning what else Telei had been up to. "What have you found?"

"The people in the city have spotted him on a number of occasions in the last five months or so, strangely enough always near a known Triad hideout or operation. They've taken to calling him the 'Grey Man'." Iroh leaned over the desk as he fixed Tenzin with a look. "Is he a Airbender?"

"I believe so." Tenzin carefully responded, remembering Lin's phone call about the warehouse and the dead Triad members. And certain that Iroh asked that for a altogether different reason.

Iroh fought to keep his hand from shaking at the effort to stop a old anger from showing up again. "Its _him_, then." After all these years he had finally picked up his trail again. He shook the thoughts away and focused. "And you say he got away?"

Tenzin looked down at his desk, away from the gaze of the young General that he was sure would be leveled at him in accusation. "Yes." He answered quietly. To stop from focusing on what he couldn't do anything about, he glanced at Verick. "Verick, anything to contribute?"

The young man nodded and smirked as he moved forward. "Actually, yeah. There was a confirmed sighting of a hooded guy down at Future Industries at the R&D department. Saw him myself but I kept far away from him and his black swords-"

Anything else the intelligent inventor said came across as noise. "Black swords? "A pair of them?" He glanced at Verick, who nodded slowly with a arched eyebrow while next to him Iroh folded his arms and frowned. "That's not the right man." Iroh was about to mutter something under his breath when Tenzin came up with a idea. "But he can lead us to him."

* * *

"Ooh! Can I see, when can I see?!"

He sighed, ignoring the smell of his mix forming into a solid mass on the fry pan for a moment to glance at the little girl bouncing up and down next to his leg. He looked over the spatula in his hand, contemplating what might happen if he decided to let it crack down on the top of her head.

Cook's prerogative after all. Dad said that's the law in the kitchen. "It's just pancakes, Ikki. Nothing special."

"But yours are always tasty! When can I have one?!" Ikki pouted as she looked up at him, knowing that if it could work on her dad, it could certainly work on his student.

"I don't know about them being _that_ good..." He muttered to himself, well-aware that Pema was standing close by as if keeping a watch on how he performed. Was she jealous or something?

"You have a interesting way of cooking. Where did you learn?" Tai held up a finger as he wiggled the spatula underneath the crisp and golden form of the pancake, sticking out his tongue as he flipped it over in one smooth movement. The surface of the fry pan bubbled and hissed in response.

"Just at home. Dad taught me and my big brother everything he knew. I'm probably a amateur compared to someone in the Fire Nation." He wasn't kidding, dad was from there and he claimed he wasn't the best cook. Of course those days when he decided to take over in the cooking from mom made his claims a little far-fetched to be honest.

He arched a eyebrow as he flipped the four pancakes in quick succession, seeing Pema slowly leaning in from the corner of his eye with a unimpressed look on her. "So how come you haven't done anything this extravagant before?"

The airbender also had another secret. It was _only pancakes _that he knew how to cook to a satisfactory standard. Anything else and suddenly Tenzin would be looking at a burnt down temple in dismay and shock.

Tai decided he should definitely keep his mouth shut, if he said anything that sounded final, he could end up doing more jobs around the place. He loved his peace and quiet. "I was... focusing. On training. You know, airbending is quite a difficult art to master, gotta have full concentration and focus for days on end, practicing the techniques and movements takes dedication and effort." He peered down to check on his pancakes, seeing that they were ready to be transferred to the plate he laid out on the nearby bench. If he could just find some blueberries he could get some extra flavor.

Although judging from the almost ravenous devouring taking place in the dining room, courtesy of Jinora, Meelo and Bolin, he had an idea that this should suffice for the patient upstairs. As he turned around he caught Pema's eye, who still had a trace of suspicion directed at him. He felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down at Ikki's wide grin. "Ikki. Yours are out there."

"But these ones look much more yummy!"

Since she didn't budge at all, he tried a different tact as he noticed Bolin tearing at a pancake with his teeth to the giggles of Jinora and Meelo. "Bolin might get them _otherwise_." He whispered in her ear, the little girl gasped as a scowl settled on her.

She uttered a almost bloodcurdling warcry and zoomed out of the kitchen past her sighing mother, sitting on top of a air scooter to increase her desperate charge to save her pancakes.

"She's resting fine you know." He arched a eyebrow as he found a box of blueberries sitting in the nearby fridge, grabbing a few of the plumper ones and placing them in the center of the stack of pancakes as best as he could. He managed to turn away from Pema as he gritted his teeth, feeling a ache on one of his ribs again. "You _should be_ as well."

"I don't need it. I'm fine." He flashed a winning smile at her, sure to be enough to get her off his case. But she still had that unimpressed look on it that absolutely screamed bed rest and being confined to the island for the next few days. Besides he had some breakfast to deliver.

Pema looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds, thinking of all the bandages she had to unwrap from him in the past two days. When he walked in from the pier he looked like death itself. She sighed. "Okay. I'll leave it up to you."

"Thank you Pema." He continued to look over the stack of golden pancakes on the nearby plate, checking that they were absolutely perfect and that there was nothing wrong with them.

After another few minutes spent deciding on whether he thought they were perfect, and then another on finally accepting that they were and that he should seriously look at his behavior concerning cooked goods, he grabbed the plate with as much care as possible so as not to disturb the precious cargo being carried on its surface.

He moved out of the kitchen into the hallway outside, liking the cool breeze blowing in from the opened main doors just ahead, although he was being almost excruciatingly careful in not letting the breeze cool down the pancakes on the plate.

As he went past the opened sliding door leading to the dining room he stopped as Bolin stretched and rubbed his stomach, a look of satisfaction clear on him. "You should have told me you could cook!" The satisfaction changed into something resembling spiritual awe as he stuck his thumb up.

"Your brother can cook though." He slipped past Bolin, keeping a careful eye on the plate as he neared the entrance that lead outside. As he turned, ready to head towards the courtyard exit he frowned and glanced back at the earthbender, seeing that he had gone weirdly quiet all of a sudden.

He arched a eyebrow at the way he just instantly perked up, grinning and placing his arms behind his head as he followed him around the other side of the stairs and towards a pair of double doors with a small portion of the courtyard visible outside. It wasn't hard to see how hard he was trying to keep that grin on though. Shrugging to himself he stepped out into the morning sun and moved at a brisk pace to the building just ahead.

Not even the bright and cheery blue sky could stop him from slipping back into the time he spent with the Monsoons. Still he used every ounce of will he had to stop from spiraling down into a well of barely-concealed panic and concern, instead using the pancakes on the plate as something to put his mind to instead. He kept noticing that Bolin repeatedly looked and then away from him, as if he couldn't decide where to keep his focus. Tai didn't really mind, he'd probably be like that if Tarrin had been injured as well.

But as he walked into the hallway that encircled the interior of the building and the rooms within he couldn't stop getting images of the grey eyes looking at him from the hood, almost _burning into him_. And he was also severely shaken by what had been done to Mako, stories about the ancient Air Nomads coming to mind.

He was still confused as to why Mako slammed a fireball into his chest, even as he nursed a few disturbing theories about it, but he knew that whatever had been done to him seems to have worn off. "How is he?"

"Better but he still hasn't woken up. I... I have no clue what happened down there." Bolin looked up from the floor, trying very hard to get those thoughts of the hooded man out of his head. And the whispers as well. Strangely the only real detail he could remember without fail, much to his dread, was a pair of grey eyes. It was hard for him to look at Tai without having a urge to flinch away.

"You're not the only one." He muttered.

Once again he found himself threatening to be tipped back into those dark thoughts. He focused all of his attention on the sliding door at the end of the hall, where he knew she was most likely resting up.

Tai shrugged and moved towards the door without hesitation, best give them to her before they go cold.

* * *

"I didn't know you could do _that_." Her mind whirled even as she stared up at the wooden ceiling, of the mind that it would be beyond her to try and roll Kaze's happily resting body off of her and hopefully over the side of the bed. She didn't have anything against him personally, she just found that trying to successfully breathe and stay conscious while being crushed by a yapping and incredibly energetic spirit wolf would _not_ speed her recovery.

She groaned a little as she shifted again under his weight, managing to get almost half of her body out from under him. This made it much easier to focus on the fact that Asami was so damn _talented_. "So wait a minute. You can beat up Equalists, strip down and fix a Satomobile in no time at all, and you flew a _Airship_ while I was with Mako at the Arena? _Cool_." She seriously thought that Asami was the bomb, not only could she kick all kinds of ass, she also wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty by getting into a machines innards.

The former-heiress chuckled pleasantly at her praise, thinking that she was exaggerating a little as she sometimes tended to do. But it was nice to hear it. "Thanks. But in my humble opinion, none of that stacks up against the _Avatar_." Although she had always felt a little creeped out by how some people idolized the avatar, that didn't mean she wasn't respectful herself, she just thought of Korra as her friend and a person first than the physical incarnation of the world spirit.

To her delight Korra smiled earnestly for the first time in a day or so, and for once without a hint of hesitation or worry aimed at what had been done to her in the sewers. She sighed as she rolled her shoulders, pronouncing the feeling of Naga's warm flank moving back and forth in a calming rhythm.

Naga crooned a little and shook her head, very much enjoying the lavish way Asami scratched her ears and on occasion lifting her head up from her paws to lick her cheeks. The polar-bear dog stretched and yawned, although she still kept her attention on the girl sitting up in the bed, watching over her as she had done many times before.

"Ouch, nice to know that's still healing." Korra hissed a little, keeping a hand on her side as she shifted in the bed, aiming to wrestle back some of the available space from the large Spirit-Wolf laying nearby.

"Need another bandage?" Asami stood up and moved closer to the bed to be ready to help in any way she could. She didn't want to think it was because she could do so little when that hooded man was around. "Kya's been teaching me in her spare time, I can-"

She held up a hand as she smiled, trying to show she was alright. "No it's fine Asami, I can take it. No need to worry." It had been two days since he had helped her escape from the Monsoons, she felt she _should have recovered by now._ She barely suppressed a grunt of irritation as she finished shifting around, choosing to focus on how messy her hair had become as a way to ignore it. "Heh, I've got bed hair."

Asami smiled tightly, well aware at what Korra was trying to do. "I think I get it worse. Keeping it this long is such a pain sometimes." Korra's short chuckle made her smile, even as she still saw the bruises and cuts running down her friend's arms and face. "Are you alright, Korra?" She said gently, knowing that something like this must have gotten to her.

"What? I'm fine! You don't need to keep asking." Korra started to realise that Asami could easily see right through her, but it only really sunk in when she heard a strange whine from Kaze, who kept pushing his nose against her hand. She obliged and starting to rub his fur, thinking that's what he wanted. But even that wasn't enough to stop his whines, and she arched a eyebrow at him as Asami folded her arms. "I'm fine." she muttered to herself, sure that she had completely recovered. So what if some airbender with a sword had shown up out of nowhere, mentally controlled her boyfriend to attack her other friend while he effortlessly defeated Lin and her metalbenders? She wasn't afraid or anything.

"You can tell me." She said in a soft tone, gently trying to get her to actually say what was bothering her. She saw the undisguised fear on her as the hooded man just stood there behind Tai, not even moving or saying anything, just still as a statue. But she couldn't help unless Korra actually said something was wrong.

"He hurt Mako. He was about to do even more to Tai." Korra whispered, hoping that Asami wasn't catching her words and unable to get the mental image of the man's cold almost lifeless stare out of her head. The entire time, he didn't even look at anyone else _but_ her.

"Mako's fine now, he's alright." Asami wasn't sure what else to say, she herself had been too afraid to even move or think at the time, and she knew that she should have done something, the guy was just standing there if she had gotten closer she could have knocked him out, or used her discharger-glove, or something! But she couldn't move a muscle as soon as he arrived.

She could already tell that she had failed to lift her spirits up even a little. A knock on the door made her look up and as Korra scrambled to get over the sleeping spirit wolf Asami managed to get there first, opening the door to see Tai standing there with a plate of pancakes. Bolin was behind him as well. "Oh damn." he muttered to himself, before smiling and looking at her. "Uh, hey Asami!"

Asami couldn't get the _grey eyes_ out of her head. She needed to think. "Um, hey!" She whirled around to look at Korra. "I've got to go, I'm supposed to be meeting Verick and Iroh on the pier any minute now. I'll come back later!" She said hurriedly, slipping past Tai and Bolin before any of them could ask any questions, and before she could catch the bewildered look on Korra.

As Bolin and Tai managed to get into the room before the sliding door closed on them, with the airbender projecting a slowly spinning mass of air around the stack to keep the precious golden brown prizes stable. He looked over the blueberries nestled on top to make sure they were still, before glancing back and arching a eyebrow.

Bolin spoke up and said what was on everyone's mind at the moment. "How weird was that?" His collar shifted and moved, and Pabu was the first to answer him with a series of squeaks. Bolin's shrug only made him chatter even faster. Naga lifted her head at the familiar faces and sniffed at them before lying her head back down.

He moved around Tai's shoulder towards her, noticing that he was fairly quiet as was Korra. He didn't want to question this so he just settled for stopping near Naga, giving Pabu the opening he needed to hop across onto her back and scuttle down her neck and perch on top of her forehead.

The room was still silent as Tai stood there, dumbly looking at the stack of pancakes on the plate before he realized Korra was looking straight at him, head tilted as she noticed them as well. "Pancakes." He felt the need to point out, watching her eyebrows lift even further only made his head scramble to find what to say. "They're yours. Everyone else got them so I thought..." He shrugged as he looked around for a place to put them, seeing that the top of the bedside table near the side of her bed was bare.

"Hey... are those _blueberries_, and _spices?_" He nearly swore as his cheeks reddened, cursing Bolin for pointing out the obvious, yes they were blueberries and yes they were _spices_, he just didn't find them until he had made up the last batch. He didn't feel that was a excuse or anything. "How come nobody else got 'em-"

There was a knock on the door, which mercifully interrupted Bolin. He stopped focusing on the pancakes and moved towards the door, sliding it open to see Tenzin standing there. "Is everything okay?" He asked, wondering if Tenzin was here to see Korra or something.

"Yes, Its just... Bolin, your brother has woken up." Tenzin explained, glad to see the growing smile on the boy's face as he stood there.

Bolin stood still for a few moments before he looked up with a big grin on him. "Great! I'll go-"

Tenzin held up his hand to stop the boy in his tracks. "Hold on, he would like to see Korra first."

"What... oh, uh - sure." Bolin faltered for a moment, a bit disappointed that his bro didn't want to see him just yet. Still, he was awake so that more than made up for anything. "I'll help him over." He suddenly bowed to Tenzin, injecting all the respectfulness he had into it. "Thank you, Tenzin." He turned and grinned at the other two in the room before moving past Tenzin's shoulder and into the hallway, before stopping as Tenzin moved past him, shaking his head as he lead the way.

The room was quiet again as Tai stood there, realizing he didn't have a plate of pancakes to steal his focus and stop himself from saying or doing anything stupid. "Last time I had soup." He shrugged, mentally beating himself for saying something so stupid. He just reminded her of the _other time she had been kidnapped._

_"_So. Blueberries?"She shifted in the bed again, this time managing to prop herself up by pressing her back against the headboard.

He looked up at the curious tone her voice had and nodded, not quite trusting himself enough to say something that wouldn't remind her of what happened with Tarrlok. "Yeah." Tai could have sworn as she turned to look away at the window on the opposite wall one of her cheeks reddened.

She wasn't sure what to say, and what she currently felt was a much more complex topic altogether. "Thank you." She said softly, once again at a loss at what to say to his constant kindness.

"So, how are you resting up?" He asked, mainly to break the descending silence between them before things got awkward.

"Fine, um, Pema's been real good and Kya's patched me up. I'm right as rain!" She chuckled as she gave him a small smile, a little suprised to see that he was asking her these kind of questions in the first place.

"Good. That's great!" He grinned as well, thinking that he was looking like a bigger idiot the longer he kept doing it, and finding he couldn't do anything to stop it. His eyes searched the room as he stood there feeling more awkward by the second, after a few seconds of silence he scratched the back of his neck and took a step back. "So, keep recovering and I'll see you around... At places." To stop himself from blundering any more and embarrassing himself to no end he turned and moved towards the door, working on only keeping his gaze there and nowhere else as someone on the other side of it knocked.

Tai arched a eyebrow as he opened the door, ignoring the curious look on Korra as he saw Mako standing there, a hand to his chest and another on the doorframe to keep himself steadied, Bolin hovered behind him with a constant worried eye on his big brother.

"Oh, hey." He immediately moved to the side to allow Mako room to move through, watching as a smile settled on the firebender's features when he saw Korra sitting up in the bed, a smile on her as well. He noticed Bolin went to put a toe over the threshold of the sliding door but stopped and decided against it, like he thought he might be violating a unspoken agreement.

"Do you need any help or-" Tai started, a little wary of how the jarring steps Mako took as he made the slow journey towards Korra and the bed, about to step in and help when the firebender shook his head.

"Nope I'm alright. Uh, thank you for the offer." As the firebender moved into the room and closer to the bed he spied the plate of pancakes sitting on the bedside table nearby. "Are those for-"

"Yep, uh, for the both of you, uh, actually!" Tai rubbed the back of his neck, a little annoyed that he couldn't find something else to say. He also didn't fail to notice the warm smile coming from Korra at the time, and the little nod she gave him.

Mako couldn't suppress the relieved sigh as he sat on the edge of the bed, still looking at her most of the time. He thought of something and glanced at Tai. "Can you some hot water?"

The old him would have immediately protested and countered with a sharp sarcastic question, but he pushed the old him down as he looked at Mako, seeing that this really wasn't the time to be difficult. "Um, yeah. I'll be back. Kaze, come here." without looking back he stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him as Kaze slipped through, feeling that they probably wanted some privacy. He stood there for a few seconds while Kaze sat by his side until he noticed he had his hand clenched into a fist. Arching a eyebrow he relaxed it, thinking it was nothing to be concerned about.

He saw Bolin disappearing outside through the door at the end of the hallway and decided he should probably get a move on as well.

* * *

"Hey." Mako's smile returned at Korra's quiet tone, glad that everything had finally returned to semi-normalcy. She was safe. He moved his hand closer to hers as she rested it on the covers, lacing his fingers around hers. "How are you feeling?" He stopped the frown from showing, thinking that she should be more worried about herself rather than him, all he had was just a few scratches and exhaustion while she...

He stopped thinking like that and focused on just being with her and being out of harm's way. Mako looked up and realised she was still waiting for a answer. "I'm fine. Just a few scratches." A sudden grunt escaped him as he shifted the wrong way and Korra looked him over with a disapproving eye. "Really. I'm _fine_."

She sighed and shifted closer to him, lifting up her arm and spinning her finger. "Turn around. Shirt off."

"Hmph. Fine." Mako grumbled, biting down on another grunt as he took his shirt off, hearing Korra's sharp intake of breath probably directed at the massive bruises going up and down his back.

"These aren't just scratches. Dumby." She looked around for the bowl of warm water Kya had left on the window-side table when she had finished healing her, lifting her arm and pointed her hand at the still water. She curled her finger slowly, coaxing a stream of water out of it and floating it towards her. She suspended it between her hands and began twisting the thick ribbon into a ball before placing it against the skin on the back of Mako's shoulder, where the bruising started and was at its worst.

She went slowly, being extra careful that she didn't miss any small bruises or cuts as the trail of discolored skin began going back to a normal tone after being touched by the gentle blob of healing liquid. "I should have gotten there sooner." His sudden confession startled her as she guided the ball further down his back, she didn't say anything immediately as she was still trying to work out what she could say.

He took her silence for confirmation as he loosed a angry grunt and leveled a burning stare at the floor. "I'm fine now." Her quiet answer didn't do much to get rid of the loathing he aimed at himself.

A bitter thought invaded his mind with Tai being the subject of it. He couldn't believe that it had to be _him_ who did most of the legwork and who actually protected her and _did something_. "Yeah well, I was too slow. And he was there for you when I should have been." He couldn't help his voice getting louder and couldn't put down the level of fury flowing into it.

"Hey, don't worry about it-"

For a strange reason that made him more angry then anything else and he felt his blood burn. "Don't WORRY about it?! Korra, I was too slow and I only got myself hurt trying to get to you. I even put Bolin in danger as well! So tell me, what exactly do I have to 'not worry' about? I-" He stopped himself at the absence of protests or even sound coming from her, feeling that he had already gone too far.

"Okay. Sorry."

What _reason_ did she have to say that for? He stopped the urge to speak and to vent, instead lowering his gaze towards the brown sheets and keeping it there.

"Healings done." He didn't look up, even as she held his shirt out in front of him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You can't focus on that now, its all in the past. We're all safe and sound."

Mako still didn't trust himself to do anything apart from shouting and directing his frustrations at her, so he just sat there and kept his silence. A grunt of surprise escaped him as he wondered why she was now poking him. "Wanna reschedule that date?"

He arched a eyebrow and turned his head with the incredulous beginnings of a grin.

* * *

"So... did she like them?"

He grunted in annoyance as he rolled up his sleeves, glancing at Pema's curious expression before deciding he should focus on watching the water rise in the sink instead. At least doing that was simple rather than complicated. If he said anything incriminating he knew she would pick on it immediatey, so instead he just nodded vaguely.

Noticing her smile the way someone does when they know something made him grumble as he reached a hand towards the tap to stop the water flowing. He plunged his hand in, ignoring how hot it was as he snatched a plate from the bottom and dragged it up into the air. "Yeah, she did." He sighed, realising that Pema probably guessed something was up.

"What's wrong then?"

Okay, she really saw through him that _easily?_ "I... Its nothing. I should focus on getting these cleaned."

"Don't worry, I can get them done for you. That means you can talk." He gritted his teeth at the way she held that smirk. "So spill, _student."_

He desperately didn't want to, it wasn't even that important in the grand scheme of things... He sighed again. "Okay... A hypothetical mixed bender thinks he likes a hypothetical Avatar, on a hypothetical Island, and he's telling this while in front of a hypothetical sink full of water."

"Hypothetically you're in a bit of a pickle."

"Gee, winning advice there." He muttered darkly, dragging up another plate and flicking away a few crumbs from the edge they clanged to.

"Look, Tai... The last time I gave out advice like this, it resulted in a utter mess. Do you want to ask Tenzin instead?" She offered, wiping over the two plates on the dishrack in front of her and getting the water off of them.

"What, no way! He's too... Mastery." He sighed at the confused look on Pema. "He's all into meditation and working on spiritual enlightenment... I don't think he knows that much about that kind of stuff."

"Actually that isn't true."

He blinked twice. "Huh?"

"When I was your age I had the same kind of dilemma with him and Lin Beifong."

In his head he realized this was turning out far worse then he had imagined. She was comparing _him to her as a teenager. _He had to head this off, to find some kind of distraction that would steer her away from that topic, otherwise anything could happen-

"Pema, can you get Meelo off my husband?" He blinked thrice at the sound of that unfamiliar voice, narrowing his eyes he whipped around as Pema grinned and moved away from the sink, prying her child away from the legs of a very large and bear-like man. Next to him the woman could be almost considered mouse-like in stature, she bowed as she leveled a warm and kind smile at Tai. "Hello Tai, its nice to see you again."

He felt all kinds of confused right about now, especially when he tried to wonder about what they were doing here. Wasn't the South Pole in the south? "Uh, hey, Senna." He grinned while his mind continued to try and work things out. "So... what brings you all the way here?"

"Oh dear. I think he's getting more and more confused."

Tonraq placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment, before striding forward and towering in front of Tai. "We've got some news for Korra and decided we should make the trip and tell her ourselves. She's probably not going to like it."

"Not gonna like what?"

"The White Lotus have asked for her to come to the compound."

* * *

土


	13. A Warm Welcome and a Cold Moment

土

* * *

_Inna, Southern Water Tribe._

The translucent ice bricks making up a majority of Inna's buildings easily caught the high noon sunlight shining through the cloud cover, being filled with a internal glow from the refracted light bouncing around in the crystalline structure, giving the appearance that in each and every brick a cold flame had been lit. The residents of the city had grown used to this display as it was now just daily occurence to them, their indifference being a far cry from the seven teenagers standing on the docks while a gargantuan ferry sliced through the waters back out to sea, beginning a long trip back to Republic City.

"Whoa its so _cool!" _The chill being brought by the gale force wind didn't faze him at all, not when he was looking at a sight like _this_. He shivered, his eyes briefly pulled away from the spectacle of the icy vista by a barely visible cloud of his own breath, making him realize exactly how cold it was down here. At the sound of a giggle from Korra, probably from a joke Mako told her, his gaze nearly turned to her, to another sight in the same measure. He caught himself before it could get that far though.

"Amazing!" Bolin marveled at the shining tower at the center of the city, almost lost in the radiance it absorbed from the sun and gave to the entire city. "Waterbending at its best, huh?!" He glanced at Asami, who rubbed her chin thoughtfully, trying her best to hide the wonder in her eyes with a thoughtful expression

"Maybe, but remember the Tai-Shan towers during New Years? No bending used at _all_." She responded as coolly as she could, trying not to be impressed by the Southern Water Tribe architecture.

Bolin rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Hmm."" He turned to his left to address the waterbender, who stood there with his arms folded and chin tucked down, not even looking around at the sights. "- Thoughts Boto?"

"I can't say, I..." Boto looked down at the frozen pier boards, lifting his boot and seeing the fine layer of ice and snow. "Its been a while for me." He said quietly, catching a look of concern coming from Korra.

"Geez its _freezing."_ Mako blew into his hands, trying to warm up his exposed fingertips and chase away the freezing sensation. He shook his hand to get rid of the tingling as he felt her breath on his ear and heard her laugh.

"Toughen up, _hotman_." She giggled at his sigh and nestled her cheek on his shoulder, looping a arm around his waist to keep him warm. She sighed with content, glad that they were able to be like this again, although she felt a niggle of concern with how long it would last. She gasped as a sharp gale touched her skin, coming completely out of nowhere. She looked up at the sky, looking for the telltale signs of a oncoming blizzard like her dad taught her. Her gaze swept over the top of the Moon Tower and she thought she could pick out a black blur balanced on its highest point. She shook her head as the wind picked up again with a final hoarse howl before dying down to a whisper, when she looked again the blur had disappeared as well, putting a sense of disquiet in her.

"Honey!" A pair of figures, one almost twice the height and width of the other stood at the end if the pier, and even through a thickening snowblind and across a good twenty metres their blue eyes stood out brilliantly. She smiled at Naga making a short bark of recognition.

Her mother's voice immediately chased away the disquiet, replacing it with a ball of pure happiness and joy at seeing her and dad again.

She shifted a little away from Mako, stepping forward and going into a sprint. With the shorter of the two in clear sight and standing there plain as day she slowed down to a jog, wearing a smile as she stopped and looked at her mother. Wasting no time at all she stepped forward and held her arms out wide, filled with happiness at seeing her mother again. "How's my girl been?"

"Hey mom. I've been great!" She laughed as she wrapped her mother in a tight embrace, not noticing that she had lifted her up into the air as she focused on nothing but joy and happiness.

"That's- great!- A bit tight, some air might be nice!" She frowned as she realized she was crushing the air out of her mother's lungs. She yelped with alarm and stood back, releasing Senna from her grasp and allowing airflow to resume to her lungs.

"Thanks, honey." Her mother wheezed, cradling her stomach for a few seconds before straightening and releasing a happy breath. She smiled at her daughter, marveling at how tall she was now and glad to see her smiling. The last time she had seen her was in the aftermath of Amon's tyranny, since then this has been the only time she had seen her daughter smile.

Although as she looked her over, she found herself unable to ignore the barely there line of faded skin on her cheek, indicative of a scar left there by a shallow cut. Or the faint outlines of bruising that had been tended to by a waterbender. Senna kept up her bright smile but inside she panicked a little at all of the injuries her daughter had picked up since she last her.

Spirits knew she shouldn't fret over the Avatar, but that didn't come into focus when it was her _daughter_. "Mom, you alright?" She looked up hurriedly, realizing her gaze had lingered over to a patch of snow near Korra's foot in the time she had been in her own thoughts.

"Oh? Yes honey." She hid a sigh of relief, not wanting to burden Korra with her thoughts. Luckily her husband's barreling laugh helped on that occasion. She grinned and rolled her eyes as Korra squealed with unbridled joy, moving past her and towards the giant of a man nearby.

"How's my precious?!" Her dad's deep unmistakable voice reached her ears as she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him as best she could, quickly finding she still wasn't big enough to complete her childhood goal. She sighed happily and buried her face in his chest, already reminiscing about a few cold nights where she did the same thing as they waited out the blizzard. "How've you been, pup?"

Her cheeks tinged a little at the use of his nickname for her as a kid. She laughed and thumped his chest. "I'm not a pup, I have grown_, dad._" She yelped as his bearlike arms wrapped around her waist and hoisted her up high enough that her feet now dangled in the air. She couldn't help laughing as he did this.

"I'll only stop calling you that once you're bigger than me!" Her laughs continued even while muffled by his chest and even as a ache formed in her side.

That ache bloomed into full-on pain, and she hissed as her side burned, rewarding her with a flash of being back down in those tunnels at the mercy of the bloodbenders. She felt out of breath as sweat ran down her forehead, with her being hopelessly faced with the horrible memory, even as her father set her down and looked at her with a worried expression. "Korra? You okay? What's wrong?"

His worried tones brought her back down to earth, she shook her head as the pain slowly faded, although only to a dull throb and not going away entirely. She nodded, gently, to make sure the dull throb couldn't get any worse. "Fine, dad." She muttered, very sure that he was unconvinced.

She felt the throb die down a little at his smile and nod. _If you say so_ he mouthed to her.

He rubbed her head and smiled down at her, before noticing the firebender standing nearby throwing nervous glances at the two of them. His eyes gained a almost predatory gleam to them as they focused on him and thoughts of showing off his weapon collection came to mind.

Korra glanced back at Mako with a hurried smile and then looked up at her father, before punching him in the chest to get his attention. "Dad..." She warned, knowing what he was like.

"What? I'll be gentle, sweetie, I promise." Reluctantly she nodded and rolled her eyes at him, before unwrapping her arms and leading him over to the firebender. Mustering up all of his fatherly wit and charisma he had a twinkle in his eye as he stopped in front of the stoic youth, who either didn't have a reaction to his towering stature or was just very good at hiding it.

Wordlessly he thrust his hand out towards the youth, who immediately responded in kind, wrapping a gloved hand around his uncovered hand and unwaveringly stared him in the eyes. "Mako, we met a few months ago, back when-"

The youth cut him off as he glanced at Korra, before looking back at him. "Yeah, didn't really have time for introductions at the time." He bowed, something which surprised Tonraq, unused to someone doing it to him. "I apologize, sir."

That amused Tonraq, he chuckled, figuring he could get used to the kid dating his little girl. Although thoughts of showing him the impressive array of well-maintained, and more importantly _sharpened_ weapons in his home still lingered. He clapped a hand on Mako's shoulder, nearly unbalancing him and stumbling him back a few steps in the process. "Y'know, I have some...conditions...if you want to continue dating my daughter."

Behind him he practically sensed his wife folding her arms, pinching her nose and rolling her eyes. He ignored that, intent on educating the firebender about how things were handled in the Southern Water Tribe.

"Conditions?" Mako asked, very reluctant to irritate or accidentally enrage the bear of a man. The man's hand squeezed his shoulder and for a few moments Mako was sure it was going to dislocate as the man laughed again.

"Yep! Conditions! For starters, I've got to show you my _weapon collection_. Don't worry, I can heal you after _we're done-_"

He almost gulped.

"Dad! Stop scaring him and help mom with the bags!" He sighed as he glanced back at his daughter, judging by the intensity of the glare she had leveled at him that it was probably best to ease off with the fatherly protection. For now.

Mako rubbed a spot on his arm, relieved that the conversation couldn't get any farther. He smiled at Korra, relieved that she had rescued him. "Thanks."

"Wanna walk with me? The place we're staying at is just up the road." He nodded and squeezed her hand as she wrapped her arm around his waist. As they started to walk together, moving off of the dock and towards the steps leading to the edge of one of the main roads leading into town he didn't expect to feel her warm breath on his ear, his cheeks flushing a little in surprise. "We get there first, we get first pick of _rooms_."

"And get warm faster. This flame isn't really doing much for me." She thought she could hear his teeth chattering while he kept the flame going in his outstretched hand.

"Sure. That too." Korra began leading him away, turning to wave at her parents. "See you guys up there!"

She moved forwards, keeping her hand in his as the snow underfoot ended and the ice-bricks began. Southern Tribers were going about their business as people did, frazzled parents pulling along petulant children who could only waddle encased in their thick parkas, gloves and boots. Hunters bringing in a haul from the snowy hills surrounding the town, walking amidst businessmen or shipping bosses arguing with each other while holding thick whale or sealskin briefcases of all shapes sizes, always seeming like they were about to engage in a slapfight using them as their chief weapon. All of them had blue eyes, and all of them looked straight at her and Mako from time to time.

And whispered.

Korra found herself grinding her teeth after a while just as she caught sight of a large sign sticking out from the lavish wooden building at the top of the street, showing a white fish leaping over a black fish with curvy lines surrounding them.

Breathing a sigh of relief to herself, she glanced at Mako and grinned. "We're nearly there!"

He nodded while Korra heard a strange noise coming from him, sounding like muffled tapping. He rubbed his sides and returned her grin, showing that his teeth were chattering like no tomorrow.

They passed under the sign, about to head up the steps when she caught sight of a trio of familiar trios crossing the street from the other side, having just dismounted from a deep blue carriage, pulled by two yaks.

Chief Unalaq stopped before Korra, flanked by Desna and Eska. He bowed first, followed his children a second later. When he came back up he had a warm smile. "Niece, its been too long."

"Oh, its great to see you too, uncle. You guys as well."

"Sir. I'm honored to see you again." Mako placed his palms together and dipped his head towards Unalaq.

"Yes. Mako, if I'm not mistaken?"

"That's right, sir." Mako stuck his hand out and the Chief shook it.

"I hope you've been treating my niece well?"

Mako blinked twice, glancing at Korra, without a doubt not expecting something like that. "Uh. Of course."

Unalaq smiled. "Just making certain."

"Uncle, I mean no disrespect, but why are you guys visiting the Southern Water Tribe?"

She glanced at both of her cousins, seeing a oddly somber look being shared between them. "I wish to visit Master Katara at the White Lotus Compound, there have been a few... incidents among my people that require her expertise."

Mako and Korra exchanged a look.

* * *

Only four among the nine of them enjoyed the weather, looking none the worse for wear even though he was certain a gale force wind was blowing. Tai would have used his airbending to deflect it around him and the others if his teeth would stop chattering so loudly and let him _concentrate enough_.

Next to him Kaze howled and yapped in time with the wind, thinking that it was trying to beat him and claim the title of Loudest Noise Made on the Pier.

"Aw, why did I think this was a good idea?!" Sensha hissed among the chattering of her own teeth, rubbing her sides vigorously as Tai did the same.

"C'mon, I've braved a blizzard I can _handle this_." He shivered, glancing at Bolin to check he wasn't completely frozen over just yet. Pabu was on deck and licking his face, so it looked like he had a bit of time left before the freeze came. He looked back at her, finding it hard to stop his teeth from chattering. "Do the Kyoshi's hate you or something?"

"Hey I need to drop this message off at the compound, it's my duty!" Even from here he could hear the sound of her teeth chattering and felt a pang of sympathy for her before realizing that he was cold as well. At that moment his priority switched over to himself.

"B-Br-Br- Bro? Can you please make some wa- _warmth?_" Bolin said through the chattering of his teeth, finding it hard to think straight on the frost-bitten pier. His face fell a little as he noticed Mako wasn't even listening or even nearby, already walking ahead with an arm around Korra and a flame in his other hand to warm them both. "Aw man." He breathed.

"Looks like they're getting serious, huh?" Sensha breathed into her hands and rubbed them together, breathing in and out deeply to keep her own body temperature constant and warm as she saw Bolin nod. She hid a small smile at the way Tai's entire body seemed to just freeze.

They all turned as one at the sound of a single sharp bark courtesy of Naga, watching the Polar-Bear Dog pad towards them with Tonraq and Senna walking alongside, making sure she didn't fall over the edges and into the freezing waters the ferry sat in. "Ready to go everyone?" Senna called to them, casting a curious look towards her daughter and that firebender boy as they kept going up the street away from the pier.

For her part Asami walked with Boto, concerned over the things he had been telling her on the ferry ride over. "I had my suspicions. At first I hoped the ship's captain had been late in logging the manifests, but to have something like this hidden from the company for so long… It's not going to help our chances with the United Forces or any other investors."

Funny, one of her father's oldest friends and his most loyal supporter, Kahn, said the exact same thing to her. Keeping up a brave front and wiping away those thoughts she smiled at Boto. "I want to thank you both for helping me like this."

The waterbender grinned at her, touched by her sincerity. "Well, Rorik is a dangerous criminal and your Satomobiles are the best in the city, so why not take out two birds with one stone? Besides I'm sure Mako would have done this himself if you asked him."

"Oh, um…Actually…" She looked away from him, reminded of things about Mako she definitely wanted to keep down, focusing on it would just confuse things and keep her distracted from saving her company. She looked up, seeing a apologetic smile on Boto.

"I know how things are between the two of you. But I'm sure he is still enough of a friend that he would help regardless. Who knows? Korra might just drag him along if you ask her."

"I don't know, tonight's going to be a big deal for her and I don't want to take away from that." She felt Korra should be able to enjoy at least a couple days that didn't involve beating someone up, stopping some plot or helping with other's problems. She may be the Avatar but she should still enjoy her birthday.

The sound of Bolin dropping something and yelping in surprise made her arch an eyebrow and Boto smirk. "Sounds like he has his hands full."

* * *

"Okay, okay! I've got this!" Bolin stepped back from Naga's flank, taking a deep breath and meeting his palms together, preparing himself for another attempt at grabbing the heavy steamer trunk hanging in the nearby harness draped over her side. She whined and turned her head towards him, sniffing at him and tilting her head. He always wondered exactly what Asami kept in her steamer trunk and why it was so heavy.

"Are you sure you can carry that Bolin?" Senna cast a worried expression as the boy tried his hand once again, hooking his fingers under the bulky box and lifting with all his mighty earthbender muscles. "I'm sure Naga wouldn't mind for a little longer, we're not that far away after all."

"Yep, I'm fine, just need to think about it!" He grunted again as he worked the trunk out of the harness, arm muscles screaming in protest that it was too much. After one last titanic try he sighed and nearly stumbled back into a passing man before falling face first onto Naga's flank and sliding down. "Help please." He weakly mumbled.

A arm looking it belonged to a giant lowered into his vision, he grabbed it and almost yelped in shock at how Tonraq seemed to put him back on his feet like it was nothing. The big man smiled at him as he carefully extracted the steamer trunk from the harness, getting a satisfied bark from Naga in response as he patted her flank. "Good effort!" He chuckled as Bolin gingerly rubbed his arms and shoulders, rolling his neck as well to try and get rid of a kink starting to form. He was going to be sore.

"I almost got it..." Bolin pouted, a little envious of the large muscle-bound man as he carried the trunk by the handle as if it weighed next to nothing.

The large man answered with a small chuckle as he beckoned to Bolin, grabbing Naga's reins with the other to begin leading her off of the pier, managing to bow a few times as he went with a carefree smile. "Ah, still got it!" He grunted a little as he lifted his arm the wrong way, his hand nearly flying open and allowing the strap to slip a little from his grip. He looked away from the boy and gritted his teeth for a split second before the old wound stopped playing up.

Korra's mother stood near him, sighing and pinching her nose as she looked sidelong at him with worry. "Honey... stop with the boasting." She looked at the departing man and rolled her eyes at the confident smirk she definitely knew he had on, she couldn't resist him doing that.

Bolin ambled along the pier, trying not to focus on the group of giggling Water Tribe girls standing off to the side, almost completely hidden from view in their thick coats and furs. He stopped his cheeks from going red as he stepped off of the pier and followed Naga along, catching up in no short time to Tonraq and keeping pace with him as he led Naga up the street and through throngs of people, some of which called out to him or gave a nod of respect.

A few of them, usually the younger ones among the crowd did none of this, their attention divided between the raven haired beauty walking next to the big guy with a wolf helm in his hands or the short haired Fire Nation girl currently arguing with the messy-haired longcoat wearing youth just behind them. But the amount of looks directed at the Water Tribe Gal walking with the Firebender were by far the largest, especially when armed with the knowledge of who she was. They drew Tonraq's eye the most.

As they continued up the street he directed a stern gaze at the closest groups he could pick out, which was usually enough to cause them to scatter immediately. The fact that he was also holding the reins of a one-and-a-half-ton mass of fur, teeth and a especially long and thick tongue may have also had a effect on them.

Tonraq soon ended his careful observation of the crowd as they reached the base of the hill, at the top of which was their temporary accommodations for the next two days. He noticed Boling kept directing nervous looks at him whenever he could, filling him with amusement. "Are you liking what you see?" He grinned and flexed his free arm, getting a jump out of the boy. In the corner of his eye he noticed that Senna rolled her eyes, he grinned at how he always got a reaction out of her.

"What? - Uh, no - Huh?" The boy chuckled nervously for a moment before clearing his throat and picking up the pace a little so that he now walked alongside Tonraq, hearing a good-natured laugh coming from the man. Bolin couldn't help but notice how close a eye he kept on Korra. He stabbed the tips of his index fingers together as he looked at his feet for a few seconds, before summing up the strength to voice his question to the big man. "Sorry, I was just uh..." He trailed off, deciding it would be best not to bring something like that up, especially since he was just a city boy.

"Its okay, just keeping a careful eye on my pup. That's all."

Bolin couldn't help being alarmed at how quickly his voice changed from boisterous and booming to gentle and serious. Korra told him about her childhood, how she had been sent off to live in a big compound surrounded by strangers, training her up to be the next Avatar. From what she told him, she didn't have any resentment against the White Lotus, only regret that she could only see her parents sparingly. He hated to think of what it was like for the two of them at the time, constantly worrying about the safety of their daughter and what the Order had in mind for her.

He chased away the thoughts, glancing at Tonraq every so often as he walked on Naga's opposite side from him. "My brother will keep her safe. He's alright." Reassuring words tumbled out of him, thinking it was really the only thing he could _say_.

A deep-chested laugh came from Tonraq, although this time it was less in volume. He occupied himself with scratching the fur behind Naga's ear, the Polar-Bear Dog swaying her head under the attention. "I'm not worried about him, from what I can see Korra is happy with him, and that's all I want to know." He released a bit of a sigh as he looked at his daughter, not quite believing how strong she has become. "I'm just trying to make up for lost time as her father."

"Yeah." Bolin tucked his chin in against a rising breeze, kept warm by the few scant memories he had of his own father, the only true details he constantly held onto being his bright green eyes and his broad shoulders Bolin used to sit on. "From what I can remember, my dad was a lot like you." He knew he had little memory of his parents, and sometimes... he wish he had _more_.

"Was? I'm sorry." Tonraq could relate with the boy on that subject, he glanced over Naga's ears at him, wondering how he could still be so innocent losing his parents at such a young age.

"Nah, it's alright." Bolin felt a tickle on his collarbone as Pabu shuffled about in his warm collar, he lifted a hand to scratch the Ferret's head as he popped out, smiling a little as his eyes settled on the back of his older brother further up the street, now waiting by the door to a large rectangular shaped building with his arm around Korra. "Mako's taken care of me pretty well, gave me a place to sleep and food to eat." He had nothing but respect and admiration for his brother, even if he still felt a few niggles of jealousy surface at the sight of Korra being with him.

He didn't have time for those thoughts, instead banishing them away and focusing on one in particular that had been with him for a long time. He needed to pay him back.

While the man continued to guide Naga up the slippery road, Bolin couldn't help noticing how he worked to avoid bending his left arm too much. He'd been in pro-bending long enough to know that something major had been done to his arm. "So what injured your arm?" He blurted out unthinkingly, before grinning hurriedly and beginning a nervous hum.

Strangely, he heard a chuckle from the older man as he stopped for a moment, rubbing Naga's nose as she stopped moving and tilted her head at him questioningly. He kept his eyes on the ground for a moment before looking at Bolin and working back the thick sleeve on his arm, revealing a group of jagged gashes and cuts long healed over, running parrallel to each other on the part of his forearm closer to the elbow.

Bolin watched as Naga twisted her head to study the scarred skin, shoving her nose close and sniffing before letting off a curious -almost mournful- whine.

Tonraq smiled softly as he looked at Naga, for a moment going back to that moment in the snow, huddled behind a frostbitten rock and clutching onto a broken spear like it was his only lifeline. That was one _interesting hunt_. He smiled and let the memory go, scratching a spot behind her ear that he knew she loved. The Polar-bear dog barked appreciatively and rumbled in her throat. "Its nothing, I was... just out hunting meat for a friend."

Seeing that the others had already gotten ahead of them he glanced at Tonraq for a moment, watching as the man set his sights on the sloping street ahead and nothing else. "We should hurry, a blizzard's brewing up."

Korra and Mako had just turned and gone up the steps into the building as he and Bolin reached the top of the street, they heard the crunch of snow behind them and stopped to peer around and see Tai and Sensha walking up together, practically huddled together for warmth as they trudged up the icy footpath, their teeth chattering as a duo. "You two look a little cold. Firebenders right?"

Sensha turned her head slowly to acknowledge Tonraq with a jittery nod, while Tai rubbed his hands together. "Firebender _and_ Airbender." he corrected in a shaky voice, before Sensha started dragging him up the street and towards warmth.

Tonraq watched the two of them go, stroking his chin. "Hmm. Two elements? That's interesting."

"Elder Brother."

Naga barked a greeting behind him. He turned around to see Unalaq's gaunt features standing right there, with his twins in tow. Tonraq grinned and wasted no time in trapping him in a bear hug. "Little brother! What are you doing so far from the North! Ah, its great to see you!"

Eska and Desna both exchanged slight looks of alarm when hearing Unalaq's uncomfortable grunts as his bones were being squeezed. "Yes... its... good to see you too, Elder Brother..."

Tonraq sighed happily as he released his thinner brother, keeping both hands on his shoulders and glancing at Eska and Desna. "Hey twins!"

They both nodded, although Eska's attention kept being grabbed by Bolin's straining and slow gain at pulling Naga towards the shelter of the lodge.

"So what brings you here?" Tonraq studied his little brother's gaunt features, a little disturbed to see a grimace coming from him. Most of the time Unalaq would never show his emotions so easily. Something big must be happening. "Unalaq?"

The grimace was replaced by a guarded smile, tight and unconvincing. "We're just passing through on our way to the White Lotus Compound, Elder Brother. That's all."

* * *

Korra held his hand and guided him up the steps, stopping just by the rail overlooking the ground floor and entrance into the manor house below. A rattling sound snatched her attention away and she glanced up at a line of windows set into the wall just below the ceiling, the painted shutters on their outsides battering the glass as the wind constantly slammed into them. "My uncle was acting a little strange."

Mako nodded his agreement and gently gripped her hand as he stood next to her, pulling her gaze towards him. "Y'know I'm kind of glad we're the first to get in. Firebenders don't really like the cold much."

"Really? I couldn't have guessed, _hotman_." She snickered, brushing off her concern about her uncle and cousins as he rolled his eyes, before seeing Tai and Sensha walking into the room, brushing snow from their clothes as they hefted a large steamer trunk between them.

"I don't suppose the _two of you could lend a hand?_" Tai grunted out, feeling pins and needles in his hands as he dragged the massive trunk over the doorstep and into the large and open room.

"Could. But I think you need the musclework, Tai." Korra stuck out her tongue at him and grabbed Mako's hand, turning away from the rail and moving into the hallway that stretched the entire width of the house, the door immediately in front of her garnered her curiosity.

Mounted on the smoothed wood of the door was a wooden block, a darker color blue than the door itself. A line of elegant letters ran across its length, wrought in silvery font. "Hmm. Master room?"

"Sounds like it suits me." Korra laughed as Mako shook his head, pushing the door open to see a large and spacious room, with a large window set in the opposite wall and double bed sitting in the center. She strode in confidently, only to stumble and fall forwards, slamming onto the bed facefirst. In the brief view she had of the floor, she registered that the floor around the bed sat lower than the outskirts of the room.

"Yeah graceful."

"Shut up." She groaned and placed a palm on the bed's surface either side of her and pushed, flipping herself over so that she now faced the ceiling. She sighed pleasantly as he slowly walked about the room, his arms folded as he studied the furniture and contents.

Without anything to do at the moment she sat up, watching him pace back and forth at the foot of the bed. She frowned a little at the occassionally dark expression he had. "So... pretty good place huh?" Her face fell as no answer came, and she felt worry at how quickly he had changed from... well, him... to this.

She watched as he stopped at the window, hovering there like a hawk and gazing into the frosting glass with such intensity it almost looked like he could melt it. "Mako?"

He shook his head and turned away from the window towards her. "Sorry, huh?"

Korra got up and walked around the foot of the bed towards him, lifting her hand and lacing her fingers with his. "Are you okay? You kinda got this real dark look on you."

"Oh, uh, sorry. I was just..." He wanted to kick himself for not getting over what happened in the sewers, how helpless he felt at the time. "Can I be honest with you?" He said quietly, locking his gaze onto the window and not her.

She nodded, keeping her fingers entwined with his. "You know you can."

Looking at the window, he found himself going back to that dark tunnel and the hooded man. "How safe do you feel?"

Korra arched a eyebrow, not realising what he had said for a few moments. "What?" She waited to see if he would ask the question again, but he just stared at the window, almost like he didn't want to burden himself by looking at her. "Um. Pretty safe?"

Images of the hooded man and _those grey eyes_ staring haunted his thoughts. "How long do you think it will be before someone like that hooded guy tracks us down?" For all he knew, there could be more people like that in the world.

"Wh-what. Mako-" She was seriously worried now. This was just coming out of nowhere, and she needed to know where it was coming from. "You're safe now, he can't get you-" She reached a hand towards him, wanting to assure him that everything was okay, that _she _was _okay, _when he knocked her hand away. She gasped in surprise as she snatched her hand back.

"It's not me I'm _worried about_." He growled, the iced-over glass rattling as he slammed a palm against it and tipped forward so that his forehead touched the window.

"I'm fine-"

He glanced at her, his eyes burning and full of unconcealed anger. "It's not you either!" He didn't care for the shocked look on her, or the fear in her eyes, he just wanted to get the point across.

All he felt was a urge to just lay into her, about- about _everything_ - how he failed when Bolin was taken by the Equalists, how he failed when the hooded man attacked in the tunnel, he just felt so helpless when surrounded by these kinds of people and he felt sure they were only trying to get to _her, _he was just in the way.

A knock at the door interrupted his dark train of thought and he whirled around immediately, folding his arms and releasing a frustrated growl at the sight of Boto. "Sorry for interrupting Korra... But I need to borrow Mako."

She stared at the floor for a few seconds, scarcely believing how he was behaving right now. She didn't want to focus on that, instead she focused on what her old friend wanted. "What? Um yeah - Just take him." She moved towards the bed, sitting down on it and staring at the wall, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Korra saw how he kept his gaze fixed to his feet the entire time he walked across the room, how his shoulders heaved and his hands clenched and unclenched. He was about ready to _explode. _Mako looked straight her and then at the door, working his jaw and clenching his fists before a sigh deflated him.

"Sorry, Korra - it's just -" His hand covered hers but his eyes didn't reach hers. "I'll tell you when I get back."

As the door closed she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins, finally letting go of a trembling breath. She had no clue what to do here. None at all.

* * *

He stopped a moment, standing to the side just as Kaze barreled past him and through the doorway, stopping in the middle of a large room just before a staircase and shaking snow out of his fur, yapping in content.

Tai nodded in agreement as he stepped through, slowing a little to allow room for the steamer trunk he lugged along and still didn't have a clue as to how Korra convinced him to carry it for her. "You said it pal. Spirits its _nice in here." _

He rolled his shoulders, reaching up to touch the pommel of his sword's handle, finding comfort that it was still safely with him. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he dragged the steamer trunk in to the room and out of the elements, slotting it into a gap between two rucksacks that looked to be made of some kind of animal leather, definitely not made in Republic City. "Well, that takes care of all the luggage."

A curious whine reached his ears, and he looked down to see Kaze looking up at him with his head tilted. Tai arched a eyebrow as he saw Boto and Mako moving down the stairs. "You two going somewhere?"

Boto bounced his wolf helm in the palm of his gloved hands, answering him first. "Got a lead on the hooded guy from the Monsoon tunnels. We won't be back for a while."

Tai nodded at him, folding his arms as he fixed a suspicious look at Mako. "And what about you, does Korra know anything about this?"

It surprised him when Mako answered readily, shooting a look straight back. "No."

Hearing the stoic tone only made him more suspicious, which outright grew as a muffled sob reached his ears coming from one of the rooms upstairs. His hand shot forward, grabbing Mako's arm and stopping the firebender in his tracks. "What. Did. You. Do?" Tai asked quietly in a dangerous tone.

Mako didn't answer him at all, instead shaking off his grip and setting his eyes on the door. He didn't have time for this.

He narrowed his eyes as the firebender pushed past him, following Boto into the street outside. The doors closed and he unclenched his fist, gaze swinging towards the second floor above him. He thought about going up there to talk to her, as it was only the two of them in the house right now, with Bolin, Sensha, Asami and her parents out getting supplies for the trek east to their village and the White Lotus Compound.

The thought was banished when the door opened again, this time admitting the confused faces of Korra's parents, while behind them he could just see a elderly old woman and a girl about his age, both of them water tribe. "Tai, was that Mako?"

"Uh, yeah. He had to go out." His answer was automatic, best he didn't get any deeper into it. He blinked a couple of times as he remembered the face of the elderly woman standing behind the two of them. "Lady Katara?"

Katara gave him a old woman smile, chuckling softly as Korra's parents stepped aside to give her space to walk through the door and into the main room. "Its good to see you again, young man."

His gaze shifted a little as he noticed a strange spark surface in the water tribe girl's eye as she looked at him. He arched a eyebrow when she tapped Katara's shoulder, stooping a little to whisper in her ear. Katara nodded and the girl moved forwards towards him.

Without warning he felt a stinging slap across his cheek, and he reached a hand up to dumbly rub the red skin. "Uh?"

"You idiot! I went to the island and you weren't even there? Where's that apology?!"

* * *

土


	14. The Wound, the Tail, the Bad Luck

土

* * *

_Southern Limits of Inna, Southern Water Tribe._

He looked up, picking out the telltale signs of a storm brewing up at the sight of a dirty mass of dark clouds. Similar to ones he had seen countless times in countless oceans, they overlapped one another completely, offering almost no chance for the sun to shine its last rays across the land just before it dipped below the horizon. They stretched in every direction, blanketing the entire sky in a dark sheath.

His keen golden eyes narrowed as he clenched his hands into fists, the squeaking of his fine leather gloves barely reaching his ears. It wasn't the prospect of a storm or the inevitable blizzard that had him on edge, it was how _quickly_ the clouds had roiled and turned dark, not something that happens on most days of the week.

It wasn't a natural occurrence, even though he had been witness to maelstroms larger than the eye could see, felt the stinging lash of a monsoon as he oversaw a operation to evacuate a Earth Kingdom town abandoned by their government, he _knew_ that they were just that. Natural occurrences.

But this definitely was not natural. Not at all.

"Uh huh. Found the guy. I'm sitting across the room from him." His gaze furrowed as he looked down from the sky, focusing on a brightly lit squat building at the base of the hill he stood on, sitting alongside the trail of soft snow that ran down the hill and continued on. Satomobiles were next to worthless out here, more or less only being used by the wealthy or extraordinarily arrogant.

Iroh reached a hand up to the edge of his greatcoat's collar, popping it up against the wind while his other hand grabbed a small handheld from a catch on his belt, bringing it up as he surveyed the constant line of people trickling in and out of the front entrance. "Careful Verick, we need to be cautious."

"Yeah, I've got a different style." He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the sound of giggles in the background came through the speaker. "You done observing? Won't be long 'till this guy leaves, General."

"And Asami's documents with him." Iroh muttered to himself. He stared at the snow at his feet for a moment, before nodding as his eyes flicked back towards the brightly lit building at the hill's base. "I'm coming in now."

He waited as a cart rolled past being pulled by a pair of Buffalo-Yaks, occasionally baying and straining at their reins before a heavyset driver sitting on a small wooden slide at the carriage's front constantly worked to keep them straight. As the snow constantly piled on top of the light brown fur on their backs they tried to shake it off, a indicator of the species's arrogant disposition when compared to other beasts of burden. The couple inside the dark blue carriage huddled together for warmth, whispering to one another of a few things that Iroh really hoped he hadn't caught. Their constant bleating and carrying got a few choice words from the driver as he shouted at them to quiet down, but still they bleated and strained against the reins. The heavyset man grumbled as he took hold of the reins to control them.

Iroh wondered what had gotten into them. He knew that Buffalo-Yaks were usually well-behaved if treated properly.

Luckily for his ears the carriage started to make its way down the hill, moving away from him at a brisk controlled pace to stop from sliding all over the place. He trudged through the snow, making sure he stayed in the stretch of snow that wasn't smoothed over and slick with wetness or the snow that fell heavier away from the road.

As he made his way down the hill, trying not to slip or let his boots sink into the snow too far, he caught snippets of laughter and shouting from the brightly lit building, a sign that whatever their reason, people were definitely trying to spend as much time indoors as humanly possible tonight. He felt a chill breeze tickling his chin, leaving a cold sensation on any bare skin behind. He grimaced as he did up the top button on his greatcoat, once again grateful that the United Forces knew how to outfit their men for almost any conceivable environment.

The evidence could be seen in his own wardrobe.

His breath came out in warm steamy wisps as he came to the bottom of the hill, now at the edge of the lights spilling out over the snow and highlighting the entire area around the tavern.

The snow here had been trodden down, patted into a powdery carpet that easily allowed him to walk the distance from the road to the walls of the building, he stopped a moment, eyes flicking to the side to peer through a nearby window. He could make out shapes that just barely matched the outlines of severa people, most of them facing one another and gathered around tables and booths, with a few still ones under the tables or in the corners.

He straightened as he made his way to the entrance, a simply made slab of wood painted a dark blue with a circular window set in the center. Inscribed on its surface was a almost dizzying pattern of gently curving and arcing grooves, swirling into one another to form the water tribe's symbol or simply going around to represent the constant pull and flow of the tide.

His grandfather always said that he had a little bit of his old uncle Iroh in him.

Preparing himself for the inevitable questioning looks a newcomer always attracted going into a tavern or pub, he squared his jaw and set his gaze straight, pushing the door open with just enough force to make it swing smoothly out of his way and let him enter into the crowded space.

Taking one step forwards had already grabbed the attention of a few men and a single woman sitting at a booth in the corner and regarding him with glares and looks of scorn as they sat over their beers, muttering quietly amongst themselves. One in particular kept his gaze locked on him, a barrel-chested man wearing the dress uniform of a sergeant, his beard almost as large as the amount of liquor already drunk by him.

He ignored the scathing looks, knowing perfectly well what they meant as he moved towards the counter, where a young woman wiped down the top with a very clean looking cloth. A gaggle of giggles made his arch his eyebrow, and he looked towards the other side of the tavern away from the United Forces officers, seeing a group of young women chatting among themselves while winking at him or smiling. Hidden among them, at the very corner of the booth they sat in was Verick.

The young inventor managed to worm his way out of their arms, swaying a little before he regained his balance and made his way towards the bar, occasionally keeping himself upright by bracing against the line of stools set up for customers and resident boozehounds.

Most of them didn't have anyone sitting on them, apart from the one at the bar's far end, the young man with grey hair hunched over the bar and keeping to himself.

Iroh inclined his head and bowed to the woman, a rather elaborate return to her smiling kindly at him. He smiled and took a seat on one of the stools, clasping his hands together as he kept a close eye on the group of United Forces officers in the corner.

"Well, general Iroh in the flesh? In my tavern? Never thought I would see the day." She chuckled as she held the cloth up in the air, folding it and bending down to stow it under the bar before straightening and regarding him with a curious twinkle in her eyes. "Get you anything? We keep a healthy supply of Fire Nation sake."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spied the rumpled folds of fabric hanging from the young man's collar, the telltale sign of a hood. He stopped it from reminding him of a few unpleasant events, instead focusing on the pretty young woman. "I'll take a bottle." He grabbed his wallet from his back pocket, fishing out a few golden yuans and laying them near the bartender's hand.

She nodded, winking knowingly as she bent under the bar to grab a wide-bottom bottle, completely white apart from Fire Nation characters running up and down one side. "Good to know the General appreciates fine taste."

Just as she was about to bend down and grab a sake cup for him a scowl appeared on her for a brief instant, he arched a eyebrow at the approaching bearded sergeant weaving his way through the occupied tables and groups of people, fighting hard to keep upright. The smell of liquor on his breath managed to reach Iroh as well, and he wrinkled his nose as he loosed a quiet sigh and stood up from the stool, not turning to face the man.

A wave of pungent and heady smells slammed into his nostrils, getting stronger and thicker as the man stumbled closer towards him. Slowly Iroh turned, clasping his hands behind his back and keeping a neutral expression.

He kept calm as the man stabbed a finger into his chest, flicking the edge of a simple golden disc pinned to the upper right portion of his greatcoat. "Hey, if it isn't the," The man's eyes lit up at the sight of the white bottle on the benchtop, he snatched it up and took a great swig, wiping his lips and staring with wild eyes at Iroh "Th- the _Prince." _

Iroh kept a neutral face on as he looked the man in the eye, seeing how unfocused they were. Whatever he had been drinking had to have been the strong stuff. "Your name, soldier?" He asked calmly.

Sloppily the man whipped his arm up, barely managing to lock his fingers together and keep them straight as he chuckled, mumbling in his breath as his hand flopped down in a salute of horrible form. "Sergeant Jun, _majesty._"

The man took another swig of the sake as Iroh looked at him, narrowing his eyes at the man. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Quite, me and the boys - oh, and the lady - are...celebrating."

Feeling like he was being led somewhere he didn't like, he reluctantly decided to press. "Something in particular?"

A dangerous spark arose in the man's eyes, as he grew quiet and stopped taking swigs from the sake, face going dark. "Oh, just marking six months since you killed my men."

He didn't react as the man grabbed him by the lapels, dragging himself closer until Iroh could practically taste the liquor on his breath. "You're not even... not even _fit _to command a latrine!"

Iroh could see by how clean and ordely the sergeant's uniform was kept and how easily he still managed to speak fairly clearly under the influence of so much alcohol, that this man wasn't normally so out of control.

"I'm working to make my mistake _worth it_." He said simply, grabbing the man's hand and throwing it off of his shoulder. The man swayed and stumbled as tears became visible on his cheeks, and his shoulders shook as his companions came out of the crowd and led him away.

The crowd fell silent for a few moments as they directed their attention at the minor distraction, before getting lost in their conversations and lives again.

Clenching his fists, he stared at the floor for a few seconds. He had to make it up to the men and women lost because of him. Somehow he would. Iroh noticed the bartender had stopped in her tracks while wiping the bench down, her eyes complicated. Iroh sighed. "Did you have family in the United Forces, miss?"

The young bartender nodded after a moment. "My brother. He died when the Equalists sunk his ship." She fell silent and turned away from Iroh, redoubling her efforts on the bench with almost frenzied movements.

Iroh took another swig of the Sake. Straight from the bottle.

"I've half a mind to throw him out of here if the weather wasn't so nasty." He looked up at what she said, staring daggers at the sergeant for a few seconds before her eyes softened and settled back on him. "The things I've heard about hunters disappearing in the night though... I'd be condemning him."

"Disappearing?"

The glass squeaked as she rubbed it one more time before nodding. "Started happening a couple of months back. Before then you'd occasionally get a few people who got lost coming out of the city to travel further into the pole, and the White Lotus would send out a few men for them." The bartender focused her eyes on the countertop. "But lately its gotten worse. They've gone out, usually at night for a hunting trip. Never came back."

A chair scraped nearby, and he looked up to see the dark clothed man from before disappearing through a side door, Verick following him outside before Iroh could say anything. He bit back a frustrated groan, before arching a eyebrow at the bartender's hesitant expression. "What's wrong?"

"That guy and his friends...They're _Equalists_." She whispered to Iroh, leaning forward so that only he could hear her. As she did this she kept throwing looks at the door leading outside, as if fearful that the dark-clothed man had heard her. "He asked me to give shelter for the night, I couldn't turn him away."

He hesitated, knowing that the higher-ups had a arrest on sight order for all Equalist members, and included those who gave assistance or shelter, in any shape or form. It was a good strategy, that way they could catch them by undermining any support for them and dismantling their safehouses. Although that didn't take into account the fact that some of these groups happened to have vital information no one else could offer.

He also knew that in the Water Tribe, turning away someone in need of shelter was not a _option_.

The young general nodded as she stared at him with something approaching fear and her hands clenched. He smiled and fished a couple of gold yuans out of his pocket, bouncing them up and down in his palm before gently opening her trembling hand and depositing them in her grasp. She blinked in confusion as she stared incredulously at him. "You're not going to arrest me?"

"For your trouble." He smiled at her before grunting in surprise when she grabbed his hand.

"General, what happened to my brother and the rest of your men... it wasn't your fault." He wasn't convinced but he nodded anyway before moving away from the countertop and setting his sights elsewhere, stepping around the swinging door and into a small hallway lined with mops and buckets. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, before cautiously stepping forwards and out into a small snowed in square, boots crunching in the snow as his eyes scanned from side to side.

Ahead was a small garage, its walls barely visible with the piles of deepening snow around it. He noticed a light shining through one of its windows and moved forwards, slowly getting to the center of the snowed in area.

He stopped, closing his eyes as he heard a small click and the familiar hum of a discharger glove charging up. He held up his hands as someone approached from behind, and a hooded figure stepped out from behind a wall in front of him, dragging Verick through the snow and throwing him at Iroh's feet.

For a second he thought someone who was supposed to dead stood there, before he focused and saw the youthful yet hard grey eyes of a young man, a large scar running from his chin and up his cheek, going past his right eye.

Verick got to his feet as quick as he could, brushing snow from his shoulders and to shake it off of his prized mink half-cloak as the razor sharp tip of a sabre pressed into his throat a little, giving him the urge _not_ to gulp. He stiffened, slowly raising his hands while Iroh focused and directed a stream of warmth to the hand behind his back, the leather material of his glove starting to warm in response as he narrowed his eyes.

He took a step forward when the young man lifted another sabre, identical to the other, directing the point at his throat as well. "Not a muscle, General. You have five seconds to explain your reason for shadowing me."

The three of them stood there, unmoving. With the hooded figure holding a blade out in front, directed at Iroh as he began thinking of a out, and another outstretched to the side, making sure Verick stayed very still.

The wind howled as Iroh spotted movement in the corners of his sight, seeing the familiar ghostly green lenses of chi blockers and their accompanying bolas and discharger gloves. "Three seconds."

"Documents from Futuretech. Where are they?"

"Two. Why?" Verick hissed a little as the blade bit in deeper, beginning to draw blood.

Iroh stiffened as he worked on widening the flow of chakra to his palm, trying to make a spark without getting the Equalist's attention. "You took them, I need them back."

"One..." Verick closed his eyes as he imagined death claiming him, mind first going to things he would no longer experience before going to the dreams he could never invent-

The tip of the sword pulled away from him, and Verick slowly opened a eye, seeing the hooded guy now had sheathed it, although he still kept its twin trained on Iroh.

Suddenly the blades dipped as the hooded young man lowered his blade, still keeping it at the ready just in case as he fished out a folder from inside his coat. "You mean these? We took them from some Monsoons hanging near a warehouse, trying to make some money their bosses didn't know about. looks like we did your job for you."

Disbelief was on Iroh's mind, but he chose not to pry any further seeing as he could soon be on the recieving end of at least six chi blockers and their gadgets. Reluctantly, he stemmed the flow of chi to his palm, the warmth dying down as he cautiously took the brown manila folder being offered. He knew he should't even start to trust this guy, but the futuretech logo and Asami's confirmation seal confirmed them as being the real deal. "Why hand these over? Your 'followers' could use the edge."

"Don't mistake this as a gesture of goodwill, I just don't want a group of Bloodbenders getting their hands on whatever's in these documents. My brother and sisters have been through enough."

Without any hesitation Iroh inclined his head as a way of thanks, before remembering something he had just said. "You said something about a nearby warehouse. Is it large enough for a freighter to berth in?"

"The warehouse is in a fishing village just down the road. They use it to bring in hauls from the trawlers. I suggest you start your search for the _moonflow_ there."

Iroh couldn't afford to waste time wondering how the Equalist knew about the missing ship, instead focusing on the fact that they finally had a likely location where the _Moonflow _could have been taken to. He clenched his hands and narrowed his eyes while studying the hooded equalist's face for a few moments, for a moment seeing nothing but the destruction of his fleet, the loss of a lot of good men and women, and his own honor being tainted because of what he allowed to happen.

The chi blockers around him didn't even make enough noise to make whisper as they departed, following the hooded young man as they disappeared from sight.

Verick made a groaning sound nearby, and Iroh bent down to help him up, his mind burning with questions pointing to a single purpose. "We're waiting here, I'll send a message to Boto and Mako at once."

The wind picked up to a keening scream around them, carrying a strange edge to it that made Iroh shiver a little. Above their heads a living shadow flitted through the cold-bit air, its burning eyes looking down at them for a brief instant.

* * *

_Inna, Southern Water Tribe._

The room was quiet and lonely around her, offering nothing for her to focus on, something she desperately wanted to stop his harsh words playing over and over in her head.

He had lashed out at her, with almost no reason to explain why. The first few minutes after he left the room were the worst, just non-stop tears and sobbing for no reason in particular. She knew she wasn't like this, she wasn't some sap that cried at the mere mention of a cruel word, so she tried as hard as she could to stop the damn tears.

And so far they haven't come back.

She thought it was a little childish for her to just sit here and stew in her own thoughts. But it was she always did, it worked in the compound as a kid, so why shouldn't the same work here? She hoped that no one would knock on the door, not having the energy or the desire to stand up and steer them away from her.

She didn't need anyone talking to her, she just needed to be alone with herself for a while, gather her thoughts.

Korra kept her gaze on the wooden boards making up the nearby wall, her arms wrapped around her shins and her knees tucked up against her chin. Outside the wind quietly howled and occasionally battered the room's window, she settled her gaze on the window and the falling snow outside that occasionally brushed against or fell onto the glass. It was strange, but she always found some measure of comfort in watching how snow fell.

It was probably because she had been born in the snow, brought up around it and completely surrounded by it for a lot of her life.

Despite the fact that it was so familiar to her, almost as much as breathing, even that couldn't distract her from the crushing thoughts dominating her head.

A tear ran down her cheek and almost mechanically she lifted her arm and wiped it away with the side of her hand. When she did this she felt a stab of pain coming from her shoulder, but dismissed it as a old wound acting up, still unable to focus on anything but what recently happened.

Someone knocked on the door, the sharp raps nothing but noise to her ears as she stared at the wall, wishing whoever it was just went away.

It was hard enough sitting there by herself without having to face the prospect of someone trying to talk to her and ask what her problem is. More than likely it was probably Bolin or Tai, and while the more rational part of her argued that she should actually let them in, the rest of her decided against it.

Even worse; what if it was her parents?

She shook her head as another tear trickled down her cheek, someone continued to knock on the door, something which continued to piss her off. "Go away! I don't want to talk about it!"

The knocking stopped abruptly and for a few seconds it looked like whoever was on the other side gave up. Korra wiped away another tear, sniffing as her thoughts threatened to take her back to thinking about what she could have possibly done wrong.

The door to the room creaked as it swung open, Korra stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to center herself before looking over her shoulder to see who it was. A middle-aged woman and a girl around her age stood there. She blinked the tears away quickly, focusing everything she had on disbelief. "Kya?"

"Hey there!" The older woman said chirpily, grinning as she moved towards the bed Korra sat on, with the girl in tow.

"What are you doing here?" Korra asked, letting curiosity take over.

"Okay, you caught me. Mother asked me to check on you, see how you've been doing." She glanced at the girl behind, smacking herself in the forehead for being so rude. "Sorry where are my manners? This is Hana, she's one of my disciples. Pretty good with the healing hands I might add."

Korra arched a eyebrow, remembering a place she had seen the girl at before. She dipped her head in greeting. "Nice to meet you Hana. Aren't you the receptionist at Mako's-" She stopped herself, finding she was barely able to say his name without it conjuring up a image of those accusing golden eyes. She took a deep breath, hoping neither would notice and willed herself to continue. "- _Officer Mako's_ apartment?"

"Um, yeah. I kind of hold down a few jobs around the place." Hana's thoughts went back to the arena during the Avatar's rally, specifically directed at the longcoat wearing idiot who _knocked her over_. "Of course some of them do hold a few hazards." She glanced to the side and narrowed her eyes. "Longcoat wearing idiots being _one of them_." she muttered.

Despite how low she felt, Korra actually found herself laughing at what Hana just said. "Longcoat wearing idiot, huh? I guess that means Tai?"

"You know the idiot in question?" Hana grumbled, folding her arms and avoiding the wink Kya kept giving her. She had been around her long enough to know what that meant. And it so wasn't the case here. He was just a random idiot to her.

"I don't just know him, I live with him! He's training his airbending, just like I am." Korra found herself wanting to continue talking like this, if only just to distract herself.

"Okay. I kind of slapped him when we first arrived."

She found herself laughing again. "That's nothing compared to what I've done to him. I've punched him, thrown rocks at him, blasted fire, launched water... yeah, that's just off the top of my head." The two of them shared a few sniggers when the wind picked up to a keening scream, and in Korra's heard she _felt_ a series of whispers.

Korra hissed when her shoulder started to throb painfully, for a few seconds, before outright blooming into a hot well of pain. She gritted her teeth before letting out a gasp, clutching her shoulder as she began to sweat. Questions ran through her mind, mainly asking why the wound chose now of all times to start hurting again? She thought it was healed!

"Korra!? What's wrong?" Hana shirked away a little, but didn't budge from where she stood, rummaging through the satchel on her hip as quick as she could.

Her thoughts muddled and slowed as she gritted her teeth, watching out of a corner of her eye as Kya rushed forward while she drawed a ribbon of clear water from a pouch on her hip. She felt the bed sag a little as someone sat on it behind her.

The pain continued to mount up, even as she heard muddled orders from Kya to roll up her sleeve. She did so immediately, working it up as high as she could while biting her lip, to stop from gasping in pain as she felt her thoughts slow to a crawl.

She felt fear at what was happening to her, even as she barely registered Kya undoing the buttons on her jacket, a look of determination on her as she grabbed at the fur collar and slipped the fabric down her arm to reveal the wound on Korra's shoulder.

Behind her, Hana gasped as she beheld the inky black scars, standing out in contrast against the brown skin around them. Tendrils of black could be seen just underneath her skin as well, spreading from the wound. "Kya..."

"Korra. You should have told someone about this!" Rarely in her life did Kya ever adopt a stern tone, but something like this shouldn't have been hidden. Five months back when she first got the wound, Kya thought she stopped it.

Through the haze of pain she managed to croak out a few words. "I'm the Avatar, I'm not going to let a little _scratch_ stop me!" She grunted as the pain rose, making it harder and harder to think clearly.

Kya worked the ribbon of water around itself, folding it into a sphere that pulsed softly. She ran it over the black and oily scars, seeing if it could do something to reduce them. Nothing. The scars stayed as they were, and Korra gasped as she felt a spasm go down her arm.

Bewildered, a tear trickled down her cheek as she felt her body wracked with convulsions and soon enough she couldn't take anymore. She couldn't see or fell anything, only hearing her heartbeat loud and clear in her ears as outside a howling scream carried through the air.

* * *

Kaze's ears pricked up, swiveling to locate the source of the anguished scream. He tilted his head and glanced at his master, who stood up and stared at the room at the top of the stairs, concerned about what was happening within. He watched as Kya appeared from the room, closing the door behind her as she made a beeline towards Korra's parents.

From their positions on the nearby sofa, Asami, Bolin and Sensha glanced up at the room, looks of worry on them as well. "Is Korra okay?" Bolin nervously directed his question at Kya, who ignored him as she went straight to Tonraq and Senna.

"We need to make for the compound immediately. She needs medical help." She folded her arms and looked at the floorboards at her feet, a little ashamed that she couldn't do anything to heal the wound.

"What? What's wrong with my daughter?" Tonraq felt nothing but panic, and immediately thought of going to his daughter's side.

"I- its some kind of wound... I think a spirit may have inflicted it."

"Oh no..." Senna breathed, scared for Korra's health. "How long before we can move her?"

"What can we do to help?" Bolin stood up from the couch, his hands bunched into fists with a determined look on him.

Kya looked at all of them. "We need to pack up and get her to the White Lotus compound as fast as we can." She looked at Tai and Hana. "I need you two to find medical supplies. And blankets to keep her warm. Bolin, Asami," she turned to them. "We need a sleigh."

"Naga can pull it." Senna pitched in.

She glanced at her and Tonraq and nodded again. "Alright. Both of you come with me. She'll need your help."

* * *

"Hey, wait up a moment!" Tai stopped, turning to see Hana running out of the house towards him, throwing on a dark blue jacket on the way. As she approached he felt a slight tingling sensation on his cheek, and reached up a hand to rub at it absent-mindedly.

"Aren't you needed in there?"

"No, I've only been a disciple for a few months, I'll only get in the way. Besides, you'll need a bit of help getting those supplies, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, I suppose." He cleared his throat and nodded, turning without a word and walking down the snowed in footpath, with her following in tow.

He fell silent, his mind going through lists of likely places he could supplies from in a city like this. He wasn't exactly familiar with the layout and he didn't have much time, which annoyed him to no end. But since Hana was coming along, maybe she knew where to go?

"That's a cool sword."

Arching a eyebrow he glanced at her. "Yeah, it was from my mom."

"Huh. She gave you a sword? Mine just gave me chores."

"Yeah well, I'm better with handling a sword than doing dishes." He smirked to himself, realising how completely accurate that was. Looking at her, he wanted to know something. "So I've got something to ask you: What was the slap for?"

"You did kind of leave me hanging after _tripping me over_ back at the arena." Came the frank statement.

"Well I was kind of busy at the time."

"Doing what?"

"Being stupid."

That got a chuckle out of her as they came to a intersection at the end of the street, suffocating under the snow like everything else. "Fair enough."

He smirked at her as he examined the surroundings, finding that a thick haze of snow blocked visibility everywhere he looked. "You don't know a quick way of getting to the general store, do you?"

"Yep, there's a nearby leading to a main road. Most stores in the city are set up there." She pointed towards the snowed in mouth of a alleyway just across the street from them. She beckoned for him to follow her as she trudged through the snow to the other side of the street.

He followed, disappointed that airbending couldn't do anything against one-and-a-half meter thick snow.

Unlike the alleys in Republic City, this one was relatively clean and only ran straight out ahead, cutting right through the cluster of ice-brick buildings on either side. But although it didn't have the huge buildings yawning up on either side that threatened to close in on him, it have a familiar sight to him.

"Is that a Equalist mask?" He heard Hana say as she bent down to brush the snow away from it, revealing the famliar brass pipes connecting to the mouthpiece and the foggy green lenses, and above them, a blood red circle stamped in the middle of the forehead area.

Saying it brought up a few memories would have been a gross understatement.

As he move to Hana's side, he heard a rustling noise and looked down, seeing a sheet of paper caught against the side of his boot. Looking at the mask one last time, he bent down to pick it up, unfolding it and smoothing out the creases as much as he could.

It didn't say much, but he wasn't looking at the words so much as the name at the end.

_Meetings in a week, get back to RC and we'll begin planning how to take him out. Move cautiously. - Tarrin_

_Tarrin._His eyes went wide with the implications of that name. It was his brother, he finally found a lead! Even better it wasn't going to take a long time, just another week or so!

"What you got there?"

He looked up at Hana, smiling. "Just a chance to see some family." Thoughts of seeing his older brother went away as he remembered the reason they were out and about. "Nevermind. Come on we need those supplies."

* * *

"I didn't know you could haggle."

"Streets were a tough place, had to get by with my brain most of the time." Bolin tapped the side of his head to prove his point.

Only for Sensha to roll her eyes and Asami to giggle as she folded her arms, watching the massive white sleigh being pulled down to the southern gate. She looked at him and smiled. "Well I'll be sure to call you if I need a case solved."

"I think you're leaving out the part where I pulled out some actual Water Tribe currency after you gave him a endless supply of yuans he _didn't want_." Sensha patted Bolin on the back after seeing his pout. "Okay, you did do most of the talking."

"So that means we've got the sleigh?" Asami asked.

"Yeah, we should probably head back and tell 'em." Bolin partly wanted to head back to check up on Korra if possible.

Asami agreed with him, and was about to suggest the very idea when she noticed a certain smartly dressed general and a certain smugly outfitted inventor coming their way.

Bolin's eyes widened in recognition, and he leant towards Sensha, putting a hand up to hide what he was going to say as he pointed at them. "Its the _General_." He whispered a little needlessly, having been in awe of the legendary firebender ever since the Equalist takeover.

"Yeah... my big sis' is a captain in his fleet."

He glanced at Sensha, now a little in awe of _her_. "Really?" He whispered.

"Yep, captain Serisa of the _Monitor_-"

"Kids! Is the sleigh ready?" The two of them turned, seeing Kya walking towards them, Tonraq and Senna behind her, supporting Korra in-between them.

"Its over by the east gate, we're just waiting on Tai and Hana now." Asami answered her first, getting a nod in return as general Iroh and Verick approached.

"Ms Sato." Iroh bowed, then dragged a brown folder from inside his greatcoat. "We got the document from...A surprising source."

She breathed a sigh of relief, glad that at least _one_ problem in her life had been taken care of. Although as she stole a glance at Korra, her best friend, the feeling of relief evaporated quickly, replaced by a sense of urgency.

Iroh noticed the Avatar's condition and gave Asami a questioning look. "What can I do to help?" He said immediately, ready to do whatever was needed to give assistance to the Avatar.

Kya looked him over for a moment, before nodding and handing over a envelope with a blue wax seal. "Give this to Tenzin when you head back to Republic City."

He opened his mouth to argue, thinking he should be watching over the Avatar and protecting her from any potential threats to her safety, when he backed down and nodded, squaring his shoulders and snapping off a salute. "Ms Sato, you're welcome to come back with us."

"I'm not leaving Korra's side." She folded her arms as she gave him a look of determination.

"I thought as much. We'll get out of your way." Iroh and Verick moved out of the way, going to the side of the street as the group began moving again.

* * *

_South Road out of Inna, Southern Water Tribe_.

"Its him. The hooded guy from the tunnel."

Mako turned to Boto, snatching the binoculars from him and bringing them up so he could look through them.

The sun was behind them, making it hard to pick out individual shapes in the darkening snowy landscape. But still he found what Boto had pointed out, sure enough seeing a solitary figure moving along the side of the road, almost impossible to pick out from the dark surroundings if it wasn't for their movement.

Boto folded his arms, scratching at the stubble on his chin, the only part of his face not hidden by the fearsome visage of his wolf helm. "Doesn't seem to be in a hurry." He pointed out.

"Good that just gives us more chances to follow him." Mako chose to concentrate on routes through the snow and ways of getting closer without being detected, rather than what he left behind back at Inna. "Let's go."

The waterbender nodded, starting to make his way down the hill, hands slowly moving in graceful arcs to thin out the snow around his and Mako's feet to make their passage easier and their footfalls less noisy.

Mako's head swam a little as he focused on the hooded figure, now approaching a fork in the road. He shook his head, grimacing for a moment as he felt his head pound for a few seconds. A small whistling noise began to die down a few seconds laters as the pounding did, which Mako attributed to the wind picking up a little speed.

"I don't like the look of those clouds. Let's pick up the pace - What the?" Boto's voice was lost in a maelstrom of noise and roar, the snow began to fall much more violently and the wind buffeted them around.

Mako's world became that of snow, ice and hail as a white haze completely swallowed them up. He squeezed his eyes shut, only opening them enough to see through as he held a arm up to stop the constant hail from stinging his face. He grunted as a gust of wind slammed into his gut, bowling him over and sending him tumbling through the snow.

A hand closed around his and pulled him up, blearily he watched as Boto made sweeping gestures with his other arm, trying to deflect as much of the snow and hail away from them as possible. His bending couldn't stop the wind however, which constantly directed the hail and snow towards them from every direction in a deafening uproar.

And just as it was its worse and about to bog them down the wind slowed, the volleys of hail fell short. "Mako, Mako!" Boto's hoarse voice shouted in his ear, coughing every so often.

Groggily he opened his eyes, seeing a clear and sharp blanket of twinkling stars studding the night sky overhead. "What, what was that?" He whispered, unable to go any louder.

Boto fought to catch his breath as he gasped in great lungfuls of air. "I don't know, never seen anything like it."

As he slowly recovered from the vicious onslaught of wind and snow, Mako spied a group of warm lights in the distance, clustered close together and hugging a great expanse of dark water.

A hand grabbed his collar, and he had a question rising in his throat just as his back slammed into the snow and his head swam in a daze. "Why-" Before he could get any further a heap of snow piled over him, muffling the sound of footsteps approaching.

It didn't take long for them to pass, telling Mako how quickly they seemed to be travelling. A minute later his vision cleared up as he spat snow out of his mouth, wiping his lips and giving Boto a questioning glare.

Boto had his gaze locked on the departing pair, slowly standing up and pulling Mako up with him. "Monsoons."

Not focusing on the fact that he had just ingested a sizable amount of powder, he stared after the departing pair, who now headed down the road forking towards the fishing village. "Probably heading towards where the _Moonflow _is being kept."

The two of them waited as a pair of hooded cultists turned into view, walking down the dark and dank hallway at a measured pace.

Once they walked out of sight the pair moved as one, slipping across the hallway and through a wide open doorway, looking more akin to a submarine hatch than a actual door.

Boto glanced at Mako as the ceiling disappeared into a haze of darkness, almost uniform until hitting the large rend in the middle of the ceiling, a massive rip that showed a portion of the clear night sky with the moon shining through, full and bright.

The light of the moon highlighted the starboard side of a absolutely massive ship, painted grey and red and faded with age. Men moved up and down a loading ramp extending from its side to a platform nearby, carrying or pushing large crates stamped with the Futuretech logo.

Near the platform a crowd of cultists surrounded a space lit up by floodlights, where the umistakably predatory profile of Rorik stood, pointed teeth gleaming as Yureg and Tonrik stood by his sides, facing a hooded man with the hilt of a sword protruding above his back.

They crept forward, ducking behind a bunch of crates stacked on top of each other to watch the proceedings.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and followed Boto's finger as he indicated the slender object in Rorik's hands, a grey clothed wrapped around it preventing them from seeing what it was.

The hooded figure held something much more recognisable. A simple scroll of paper.

Mako narrowed his eyes, wondering what the tradeoff was for.

The bloodbender leader's smile grew as he unfurled the scroll, something which put dread in Mako and Boto's thoughts and chilled their blood.

Mako's blood chilled even further when he found himself staring into the grey eyes inside the hood, numbly realizing that the hooded figure was staring right into _him_. A strange sound filled Mako's head, a sharp whistle, he tried to fight it off, but the compulsion was too great he had to-

Boto had the breath taken out of him as Mako tackled him over the crates, sending them crashing all over the floor and creating a massive din that echoed off of the metal walls of the warehouse. "Mako, what th-" At first he thought it was Rorik's bloodbending, but as he caught a view of Mako's dull golden eyes, usually full of fire, he realized that bloodbending definitely wasn't affecting him.

His head crashed against the floor and started to ring, and his skull pounded. He could hear footsteps, lots of them as they came closer and closer.

The sound of several windows being broken and metallic objects being dropped to the floor amid a roaring wind was the last he heard.

* * *

土**  
**


	15. The Dark Wind and the Blood Moon

土

* * *

Wind howled constantly, giving the almost black landscape a desolate and lost tone that almost completely enveloped the large white sleigh moving with speed and urgency through the snow.

Naga had been going steady for the past three hours and hadn't shown any signs of fatigue. But now it was starting to show. Every bounding leap became just an inch shorter, each successive bark sounded strained and always being followed by a heavy breath, and sometimes she struggled to even lift her paws out of the deep snow, resulting in the carriage getting knocked around for a short while as the front edge of the skids tried to bury themselves.

Still Naga soldiered on, not showing any signs of stopping either. She wouldn't let her companion down.

To ease the pressure from Naga, Senna and Tonraq each stood on a small platform built on both sides of the main cabin, working in tandem to smooth the snow out and make it easier on the loyal Polar-Bear Dog.

Needless to say, they found it a little difficult to focus on keeping the sleigh moving knowing what condition their daughter was in.

On carriage's roof, a messy haired boy tried his best to stop the winds from affecting the carriage, a silken bright orange scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face and thoughts of Korra's safety on his mind. As he stared into the dark maelstrom of wind and snow surrounding the sleigh, he caught sight of a glint of light reflecting off a metallic material, only able to spot it in the first place due to the small gap in the clouds above enabling a full moon and a few stars to shine down through.

It left him with a eerie feeling, which only deepened when he noticed that the strange reflective shape seemed to have lengthened a little, as if it was moving or being carried.

He shook his head, putting his focus back on redirecting the wind around the sleigh. Something moved amid the whirling snow, hidden in the dark surroundings and only betrayed by its own movement.

Inside the cabin sitting on the deck of the sleigh, everything was quiet. "We should reach the compound soon." Kya said, releasing a pent-up sigh and tipping her head back, resting it against the hard surface of the wooden wall. She was just glad the wound had stopped trying to spread. Once at the compound her mother could take a look at Korra's wound, better able to find its source and devise a solution to heal it than she ever would.

Bolin nodded, hoping she wasn't far off. He looked down at Korra, a little scared of how pale she had gotten in just the past couple of hours since they left for the compound. He heard her murmur something as her hand's grip on his tightened, threatening to bring tears to his eyes just from the strength of the grip alone. But he didn't budge.

Pabu emerged out of his collar, stretching as he balanced on Bolin's shoulder before tilting his head and giving off a short squeak before clambering down Bolin's front and curling up on Korra's stomach.

Everything lurched to the side for a few seconds as the keening wind grew louder and louder, leaving a knot of anxiety in Bolin that he definitely didn't need. He looked over at Asami's stricken features and saw how tightly she was gripping the nearby corner post.

Kya glanced upwards, staying like that for a few seconds before rubbing her temples in frustration. "Blizzards getting worse and we're _so close_." She looked down from the ceiling at Korra, and laid a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. "Fever's died down, lucky for us. At least that's one problem scratched off."

"I just hope we get there soon." Sensha said quietly, her slender arms wrapped around herself as she struggled to keep her focus on the warm flows of chi going down them, using her bending as a makeshift source of heat against the constant sapping of the cold. She found it difficult just trying to keep her eyes open, let alone supplying fuel and energy to a small flame in the palm of her hand.

A chilling shiver ran through her and she felt her teeth chattering when she noticed Bolin handing something to her. She stared at him incredulously, trying to shake her head in protest as he simply nodded. Reluctantly she closed her fingers around the thick jacket and draped it over her shoulders, unable to wear it over the jacket she already wore. Her breath shuddered as she gave a shaky smile. "Th-Thanks."

The earthbender smiled at her at dipped his head without saying anything, before looking back down at Korra to continue his watch.

An abrupt lurch shook the cabin, putting questions in everyone's thoughts as they realized the sleigh had stopped. They heard the creak of wood as someone walked past the side of the cabin and opened the door.

Tonraq was there, a grim look on him as he tried his best to stop the elements from getting the cabin and disturbing his daughter. "We'll have to stop for the night, lady Kya. The blizzard will be in full swing soon and Naga needs to rest."

"Naga..." Everyone inside the cabin glanced down at Korra as she murmured, shifting a little as her grip tightened a little on Bolin's wrist.

"Is there shelter close by?" Asami asked the question that was on everyone's mind, well aware of how scattered the towns and villages of the Southern Water Tribe from geography lessons when she was younger. Luckily to her and everyone's relief, Tonraq nodded with a small smile.

"Yes. We have a igloo nearby everyone can take shelter in for the night." He stepped aside so everyone could leave the small and cramped cabin.

With each of them throwing a worried glance at Korra, Asami and Sensha went first, being closest to the doors.

Kya paid them and Tonraq no mind, still focusing all her attention on Korra, wanting to double check that her bandages hadn't slipped or shifted or that the wound hadn't - A hand came down on her shoulder, getting a sigh out of her as she glanced up at Tonraq.

"You can check on her when we get to shelter, Korra's a strong one." The man removed his hand from her shoulder as Kya stood up, nodding curtly and quickly walking out of the cabin and into the night, leaving Bolin the last to leave.

He stood up, knowing that he couldn't possibly be of any use as he began to make his way towards the door as well, only to be stopped before he could. He noticed how Tonraq was holding his arm, remembering it was the injured one.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to carry her myself, I have a favor to ask-"

"Yes." He immediately said, thoughts of saying no completely out of the picture.

Once again Tonraq had a look of relief on him. "Thank you." His words were simply, nothing more was necessary to convey what he thought about the boy. He really was a true friend to his pup.

Tonraq left the cabin, leaving Bolin standing still for a few seconds before getting to work. He bent down, scooping up Pabu into his arms, the ferret protested with a little squeak as he deposited him on his shoulder, wanting him out of the way.

Gently, he lifted Korra up, getting his arms underneath her so that he cradled her, the most secure way of making sure she wouldn't slip from his grasp. He waited as Pabu hopped onto Korra's belly and curled up again before he steadily made his way to the open doors, mentally preparing himself for the vicious shock of cold and snow about to slam into him without mercy.

As soon as he was outside there was only a constant roar in his ears as extremely strong winds strived to bash him from every direction known to man. He spotted the others trudging through the snow, leaving a trail of deep and sodden tracks behind them as they moved towards a Igloo, luckily not a long distance from the sleigh.

It was tough navigating his way through the maelstrom and it was even tougher resisting the urge to shield his face from the stinging ice and snow, quickly finding that his eyes were watering from the sheer speed the snow whipped about at.

He barely registered a thud nearby, and almost yelped as a something touched his shoulder. A warm tongue of flame came into existence, hovering just above Tai's outstretched palm as he kept his grip on Bolin's shoulder. "You lead, I follow!" He shouted above the wind, pointing with his other hand towards the igloo.

Down by his leg, Kaze's barks and growls could barely be heard above the roaring wind.

Bolin glanced down at Korra for a second as she shifted in his grip, looking like she was beginning to stir from whatever was affecting her. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief before noticing Tai kept casting nervous glances in various directions, mainly everywhere but the brightly lit safe haven just ahead. "What's the matter?"

His question was answered when Tai just leveled a frank stare at him. "Something's following us." He suppressed a shiver as the wind picked up and placed a hand on Bolin's shoulder to get him moving towards the little igloo ahead, hoping that those things out there weren't following them.

A series of shrill squeaks and chattering directed Bolin to glance down at Pabu, who had his back arched and hairs on end as he stood in place on Korra's stomach, completely still as he stared at her eyes.

Bolin blinked twice to make sure he was really seeing the golden glow completely filling her eyes. "What the..." He glanced upwards, seeing a similar look of curiosity on him as well.

"Looks like the Avatar State is finally kicking in. Tenzin told me it only manifests during emotional or physical distress." He looked to the side, thoughts of the dark tunnels, a ungrateful sod of a firebender, and a hooded figure coming to mind. "Something she's been through a lot of lately." He murmured.

Neither of them said anything further as they trudged through the snow as fast as they could, not wanting to stay out in the cold any longer.

* * *

A shiver ran through her as she slowly opened her eyes, the first thing registering beind the domed ceiling above her. She felt a strange sense of familiarity with the ceiling, like she had seen it countless times before and it was now just a natural fixture to her.

She closed her eyes, the ceiling reminding her of her childhood home, bringing with it good memories and washing out a few recent ones struggling to overwhelm her barely conscious mind.

Korra thought she could hear someone moving nearby and could feel something wrapped around her hand. She liked the warm feeling it gave her.

Opening her eyes again, she registered a familiar looking object hanging on a nearby wall. A turtle-shell shield, the face bisected by thick greyish blue lines with the four sections alternating between dark and light blue, all ringed by a thick greyish blue line as well.

Her vision cleared a little as she focused on it, thinking how uncannily similar it looked to dad's ceromonial shield she had played with many times in her youth-

"Where am I?" She meant to speak loudly and clearly as she usually did, but instead the question came out as a mangled and croaky murmur. She went to rise until she noticed Bolin sitting close by, a worried expression on him that quickly changed to sheer joy.

"Korra, you're awake! Thank goodness!" She was in the beginning stages of cracking a smile when Bolin wrapped his arms around her, holding on pretty tight for a few seconds and nearly squeezing the breath out of her in the process. She uttered single wheeze as she lifted a single finger, Bolin noticed and yelped in alarm, releasing her immediately and averting his gaze, staring at the floor instead of her. "Uh - so sorry! I didn't mean to-" He babbled, pushing the tips of his fingers together in that nervous little way she'd gotten used to.

She needed to calm him down. "No wait, I'm fine!" She said quickly, actually finding with no small amount of surprise that nothing was _hurting at all_. "I'm alright." She murmured to herself, a little suspicious since the last thing she remembered was blinding pain and nothing else. Something squeaked and she looked down, seeing Pabu unwrapping himself from her lap and tilting his head.

Welcoming the distraction, she scratched the little guy's ears as Asami walked over from the other side of the igloo with a look of surprise on her, squatting down and giving her a hug. "We were so worried!" She admitted with a shaky voice.

With a reassuring smile she returned Asami's hug, leaving a hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine Asami... Actually I've never felt better." She wasn't kidding, the past few months had been tough, never giving her a break from anything, but now... it was like all of the accumulated bruises, cuts, scratchs had vanished.

A crackling flame caught her eye as she spotted Tai hunched over the hearth in the center of the igloo, flicking his wrist as he focused on fueling the fire. With a few more flicks resulting in the flames glowing a cheery yellow he turned around and looked at her, a sense of relief on him. "You were out for a few hours. How are you feeling?"

Rolling her shoulders and neck she smiled at him, feeling very good for the first time in a while. "I don't know what Kya did but it worked. I should go say thanks-"

"She tried everything she knew. But it wasn't working."

Korra tilted her head at Tai's words, arching a eyebrow. "Huh?"

Bolin leant forward, pointing to his eyes with his index and middle fingers pointing away from one another. "Yeah, your eyes went all glowy and stuff! Whatever that was seemed to cure you!"

"The Avatar State?" She whispered to herself, before blinking twice as she looked around the igloo, only seeing the three of them plus Pabu posed a question that needed answering. "Uh, guys, where's Kya gone? Where are my parents?"

"Oh...They all kind of went ahead to the compound talk to Katara about that scratch on your shoulder." Bolin scratched the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable with telling her this. Nature took advantage of the opening he left, increasing the speed and fury of the winds buffeting the igloo's walls. "Hope they're okay..." He finished weakly.

"_Hope they're okay?!_ They're my parents, they know not to go out during a BLIZZARD." She couldn't believe that they would do something they drilled into her not to do at any cost, from a early age she knew that whatever the situation, you _never_ travel in the open during a blizzard.

"You can't really blame them, you were unconscious for several hours straight and running a high fever which Kya had no clue how to heal. Of _course_ they went ahead to the compound." Tai said quietly, folding his arms and giving her a uncompromising stare.

"Plus they can both waterbend. I'm sure they're fine, Korra." Asami reassured her, smiling as she sat down next to Bolin and crossed her legs. "They haven't been gone long."

Korra fell silent, absently noticing somewere in the back of her mind that the igloo walls were no longer shaking and that the keening noise had stopped completely. Now that she could think about it, she reluctantly relented that her parents and Kya were the best choice for going ahead, they knew the land and all of them were skilled waterbenders to boot. It didn't put her at ease, but it helped.

The sound of Naga howling caught her attention as it cut through the silence among them. Bolin and Asami both looked at one another with looks of worry, while she noticed that Tai had stood up and his face had gone completely white as he clenched his hands. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Wind's stopped.." He said shakily, putting her a little on edge as he stared at the wooden door leading outside, not taking his gaze off for even a split second. Winds going that fast didn't just disappear at the _drop of a hat, _and the feeling of uneasiness in his stomach only made any likely theories much darker in outlook.

Now that he mentioned it, Korra realised the wind _had_ fallen silent. Nothing made a noise at all now, and she felt on edge about how abruptly Naga had stopped her howling. Usually she carried on for a fair bit.

Another howl cut through the silence, this time higher pitched than before. Definitely Kaze's. Before she could register why Tai sprinted for the door, flinging it open with force and disappearing out into the darkness.

* * *

_Fifty Three Miles from Inna, South Pole._

Cold. It was all Boto could _feel_.

It had him completely, affecting every inch of him and claiming dominance over his thoughts. His thoughts struggled to even start as he barely noticed that his eyes were closed and he couldn't see anything.

He found it next to impossible to formulate a complete thought, even a basic one directed at his fingers. They were cold as well.

Although one thought managed to struggle and claw its way through the depths of the freeze. Get. Up.

Any attempt at following that single order was simply out of his league at the moment. But self-preservation forced him to try.

This time his fingers managed a slight twitch before failing to go any further. But it was a massive improvement, and his barely functioning mind kept a hold on that thought, using it to fuel any further attempts at forcing himself to get up.

He tried again, and felt pleasant surprise when his fingers flexed together this time, digging a little into what felt like snow. His mind starting to wake up now, he focused on his feet with all his might, almost begging them to move just a little.

Slowly but surely, Boto's thoughts began to flow faster and faster, steadily reaching his normal level of thinking. He blinked twice and a groan lifted out of him as his ability to feel pain came flooding back as well, almost forcing him to stop moving there and then.

The inside of his mouth felt numb and frozen as he slowly opened and closed his jaw as a test, and as his tongue started responding he felt a wet sensation on its surface. He spat out several handfuls of snow, managing to get to a sitting position as he finally cast his gaze outwards and noticed that he was in the middle of a full-on blizzard.

He squinted at his surroundings when he heard a strange hissing noise coming from somewhere out there. But not far enough.

Despite the cold he scrambled to his fee only to fall face first back into the snow. For the first time ever since he left the Tribe as a kid he felt a shiver run through him.

Thoughts of him dying out here among the snow flooded him, weighing him down. Maybe lying down was a good idea, that way he wouldn't feel pain anymore, or have to worry about Rorik, he certainly wouldn't get saddled with anymore mountains of paperwork, that was for certain.

Yeah, laying down and closing his eyes felt like the best idea in the world at the moment.

That all changed when he realised exactly how pissed off a certain old friend would get if he disappeared without explanation.

Incredibly, something that completely surprised him happened. He heard himself chuckle, realising he should probably take steps to avoid pissing off the Avatar. Slowly he curled his hand into a fist and slammed it down onto the snow, which sank under the force of his fist's impact.

He heard the hissing noise again.

Everything hurt like no tomorrow, but that didn't stop him from finding every last scrap of strength he had and directing it to his legs. Slowly he got to his feet, numbly aware of a stinging sensation on his side which he clamped his hand over, which seemed to lessen the stinging a little bit.

Now that he could think semi-clearly, he focused first on figuring out where he was in relation to... wherever he was. There was nothing he could use to get his bearings, every single direction he looked in was just pitch blackness and roaring winds, not to mention the constant snow had him severely disoriented.

First survival lesson of survival he learned was to get his bearings as soon as possible. And he pretty much failed at that. His laugh was completely silenced by the roaring winds. His dad would have been just a little disappointed if he saw him now.

So next rule: Always travel in the direction the wind opposite direction the wind is coming from, not only would it help hide his scent from any predators in the area, it would also carry different scents towards him. Already he could smell a running source of water nearby, which strangely enough had a trace of metal to it. A little strange, but it was something to go on.

His movement through the snow was hard and absolute torture on every muscle he had as he followed the strange taste of water and metal, following it as best as he could when a eddy of wind carried it in a twisting pattern that threatened to slip away from him at every moment. But he persisted, eyes forward and mind solely focused on following the taste to its source.

As his journey dragged on the wind had stopped completely and the snowfall had calmed down, he frowned and looked up at the breathtakingly clear sky above, seeing thousands of stars shining brilliantly alongside a full moon.

It was almost like someone had flipped a switch.

Boto wasn't sure how long it was before he noticed the large and incredibly old Fire Nation ship suspended in the air straight ahead, held up by claws and sheathes of ice clinging to its blade-like underside and thrusting it above the rest of the snow and ice. The normally smoky black coloring distinctive to their ships during the Hundred Year War had been completely over taken by a ghostly white layer of frost that had accumalated over the years since it had been stranded here.

The ship resembled a oversized knifeblade with a rectangular conning tower stuck on top, which sported holes and tears that allowed access into the boughs of the ship. He could see a hole large enough for him to squeeze through on the hull's midsection, just above the sheathe of ice holding the entire thing up.

He shivered, realising that although the blizzard had stopped raging, the temperature was still well-below zero. He didn't like the prospect of spending the night cooped up in that old wreck, so maybe he could find something in the ship's galley or cargo hold? The Fire Nation Navy made sure that the food its sailors were supplied with gave both nourishment and warmth to them, one of the primary reasons to make sure their firebenders could stay at their peak readiness.

His mind had been made up. He moved towards the bottom of the ice sheath, the sides of the ship growing higher and higher as he moved closer, soon he moved into the ship's shadow, losing sight of the full moon in the process. It wasn't a small loss, he wasn't planning on hanging around.

The sheathe ice that had captured the ship had also captured a distorted reflection of himself, he did his best to ignore the myriad bruises and scratches on every part of exposed skin, thinking that focusing on his injuries would just slow him down.

Instead he stared up at the hole in the ship's midsection for a few seconds, thinking that it wouldn't be wise to head into the lower levels of the ship without finding a map of its inner workings first. He swung his gaze higher, thinking that the ship's bridge was a good first place to start.

Looking down at his feet and the ice he stood on he closed his eyes and reached for that familiar flowing chi, preparing to direct it towards where he needed it to go.

Just by the feel of the ice below he already guessed that the entire section he and the ship stood on was a glacier, making him realise that he was standing on the Hako glacier, not too far from Sifu Katara's village and his own during childhood. This ship was the one she and Aang stumbled upon shortly after he had been revived from the iceberg, and had also drawn the attention of Prince Zuko to them.

Boto had a little smirk on him as he thought of the impromptu history lesson, which had just saved him from hopelessly wandering around for hours in the cold.

Fueled by the prospect of not freezing to death he thrusted his hands towards the ground as fast as he could and then thrusted them back towards the sky, the surface of the area around him rumbled as several places cracked, all so the ice he stood on could grow higher and higher in a column he kept pointed at the ship.

It didn't take long for him to be elevated to the level of the ship's top deck. He hopped down, confident that the metal could hold his weight. He froze right after landing with the ship's guardrail behind his back, hearing a quiet groan reverberate throughout the entire ship. Carefully he lifted a foot up from the deck, slowly placing it back down again in a different spot. No sound came from the ship.

Focusing on the prospect of something to eat and a way out of the dark wilderness gave him the spur needed to make his way across the deck to the side of the conning tower, also giving him the ability to ignore each squeak and groan coming from the ship.

He followed the wall of the conning tower as it turned a corner, only travelling a short distance before turning again. Midway along the narrow length he spotted a frosted over hatch, icicles hanging off of its access wheel and frost covering every inch of it so thoroughly that it blended almost seamlessly with he rest of the wall it was built into.

The wheel's surface was slick to the touch as he fought to get a grasp on it. Eventually it relented and he managed to get a firm hold, he twisted it to the right as hard as he could, to compensate for the ice probably built-up in the inner locking mechanisms. The door rewarded him by swinging open, jarring every few seconds and forcing him to pull on it.

When the door hit its hinges, they gave way and the entire slab of metal fell onto the deck with a ringing crash that reverberated throughout the entire ship. He froze for a moment as the ship groaned again, this time longer and a little louder than the earlier one, only making his reservations about entering the ship stronger.

Luckily for him the room the door opened into was straightforward enough, almost completely bare except for a staircase in each back corner meeting each other to grant access to the higher levels of the conning tower, the top of which would definitely be the bridge or captain's quarters.

Cautiously he went in, casting a careful eye over the metal walls and open doorways leading into pitch blackness. Only now he realised that animals could be inside the wreck with him, choosing it as a shelter from the elements. Another survival tip he completely forgot.

Each step he put weight on protested loudly, prompting him to go at a slower pace up them. It took every inch of his self-restraint not to run up the stairs as quickly as possible but he managed, and soon enough was could now see into a dimly lit space above him, the only light source coming from the full moon through a large hole in the roof of the shaft. Staring at the moon gave him some comfort and steeled his resolve so he continued up, following the staircase as it alternated directions and opened out onto various walkways leading to unknown places and sealed doors.

As he neared the top of the shaft, placing his foot on the very last step before the final level he heard the ship groan again, much larger and much louder than the other times. He frowned at the fact he hadn't done anything to cause it.

Shaking his head he moved into a large and open room, the walls completely lined with broken and twisted windowframes with shards of red tinted glass sticking out from their surface. A large desk in the center of the room caught his attention and he moved towards it, picking his way past iced over skeletons, broken objects of many shapes and sizes, and occasionally a old-style skullface helmet or two.

The desk had a few drawers, he wrenched them open, rummaging through stiff and frozen sheets of paper and rock solid books before finally coming across something that looked like a layout of the ship, he nearly whooped in joy, but didn't have the breath for it.

He turned, ready to head back down the stairs when the ship groaned again as a invisible force put pressure on his muscles. His eyes widened as he recognised the touch of bloodbending. He struggled, trying to break its influence when he was swept off of his feet and sent tumbling through the windows at the front of the bridge and into the night sky.

His view of the world tumbled and churned as he registered a shark-like smile standing on the deck of the ship. His body was wrenched downwards towards the bloodbender, tearing a pained grunt out of him as he stopped a few meters above the surface of the iced over deck, hovering just above Rorik's head.

"Time to play a game of _cat and mouse_."

Before he could say anything or think of a way out, Rorik pushed his arms forward. Sending Boto sailing down through a hole in the deck and into the bowels of the ship, peals of cold-blooded and unhinged laughter reverberating off of the dark and twisted iron after him.

* * *

_Senna and Tonraq's Home_, _South Pole_.

He ran through the snow, dimly aware that Korra and the others may be running after him. He ignored the thought, focusing on listening for Kaze's howls instead to navigate through the darkness.

The spirit-wolf's alarmed howls, coupled with the completely clear sky above that had only a few minutes ago been completely covered by a fierce blizzard gave him the kind of feeling that put bad to shame.

"Wait up!" He ignored Korra's shouts as he raced through the snow, thoughts racing through him about the strange shape he had noticed following them.

A pair of furrowed lines laid in the snow ahead, continuing in a unbroken line away from the igloo and into the darkness. Kya and Korra's parents took with them to get to the compound as quick as possible.

After passing over the tracks and getting further away from the igloo he slowed a little when Kaze's howls started to grow louder. He was close. Whatever had Kaze on edge spurred him to be cautious, moving slowly and keeping a hand up near the hilt of his sword. Just in case.

His heartbeat sounded too loud to him as he slowed his breathing, not daring to blink as he moved through the dark and snow as Kaze's howling kept getting louder and louder.

Tai froze when he heard the slightest whisper of movement ahead.

Carefully he moved forward, easing his blade out of its sheath as quietly as possible when he heard a strange whispering voice cut into his thoughts and stop them dead. He shook his head and hesitated, not wanting to move further into the darkness and away from the light of the igloo, giving whatever was out there the advantage.

Licking his lips he pushed thoughts of self-preservation to the back of his mind and continued forwards, seeing three indistinct shapes ahead, two of them facing the other with their backs to him.

He recognised Kaze's shaggy fur and Naga's immense bulk immediately as he came close enough to hear the low growling coming from the Polar-Bear Dog.

The shape they faced didn't move at all, but that didn't stop him from seeing the thin metal blade it held.

His blood completely froze over when he saw the grey eyes on the shape. His breath shuddered as he stopped moving, just as Naga roared and bounded towards the figure, who didn't even move as she stood on her hindquarters. Towering above the figure Naga roared as she swiped downwards with her paws that couldn't fail to connect as the figure slowly lifted up a hand.

With one flick a massive gust of wind slammed into the Polar-Bear Dog's exposed stomach and sent her tumbling past Tai, nearly knocking him off his feet in the process. The Polar-Bear Dog uttered a moan of surprise before coming to a standstill in the snow and not moving.

"Naga!" Korra's voice snapped him to action as he drew his sword out and held it in front of him in the standard stance his mother taught him.

"Its the hooded guy!" Bolin's slightly fearful tones reached his ears but he ignored them, focusing solely on the hooded figure and leveling his breathing.

Kaze barked and snarled as he raced at the hooded figure with his teeth bared. He lunged at him, only to be thrown back by a shock of wind, he landed on his side with a yelp.

All was silent as the figure just stared at the gathered teens.

"I want some answers! Who are you?" Korra stepped forward, one arm wreathed in fire and the other ripping a large chunk of earth out of the ice and snow, holding it in the air as she stared at the hooded figure.

The hooded figure tilted his head for a second before slowly bringing his sword to the front, its tip facing the four of them. "A true Air Nomad." Korra blinked twice before her growl intensified. She prepared herself for a fight, hoping that Bolin and Asami were doing the same.

She spun the chunk of earth and sent it flying forwards, rushing through the air towards the hooded figure as the ice cracked and splintered from a fissure snaking its way towards him at the same time.

The chunk of earth shattered completely as the hooded figure lowered his palm as he stood in the exact same spot. Tai rushed forwards, sword extended as he crossed the distance between them and the hooded figure in a matter of seconds, lunging at the hooded figure while sweeping his sword towards the side of his torso.

He only saw the slightest hint of movement from the figure in response, who easily deflected the reckless blow with the flat of his blade. All of the air rushed out of Tai as he felt a kick being loosed into his stomach at a speed only airbenders could reach. He sailed through the air for a good few seconds before landing facefirst in the snow, blinding pain being all he could feel and coughing and sputtering being all he could do.

Korra acted immediately, swaying her entire body in sync with the movement of her arms as great piles of snow lifted into the frigid air behind her, she closed her eyes and exhaled before melting the snow into liquid, collecting it in a fat ribbon before swinging it in a great arc towards the exposed flank of the hooded figure.

She had only blinked once and he was standing right in front of her, a vice-like grip on her collar that lifted her off of her feet. She gasped for air as his grip tightened and tightened, up close all she could see was the fury in those grey eyes, which chilled her to the bone. For a second she hung at his mercy before he simply tossed her over his shoulder into the snow behind him. Vision swimming and gasping for breath her hands flung out, her fingers digging deep furrows in the snow as she desperately tried to stop herself. Her arms ached and she felt the wound on her shoulder throb painfully as thankfully she stopped moving, tasting and seeing nothing but snow.

A spark of electricity danced through the moist air, and the hooded figure tipped his entire body back to avoid the glowing core of Asami's discharger glove as she thrusted it towards him, she narrowed her eyes in concentration as she responded by dropping to the ground and sweeping her leg to trip him up, only for her foot to met nothing but air. Her eyes widened as a hand wrapped around her throat, she gurgled and gasped as her hands shot up to his in response, trying to tear them away. Her head swam as he loosed a vicious kick into her stomach, getting a scream out of her as she tumbled through the snow, barely conscious enough to notice Bolin.

He stood off to the side, his brow furrowed in concentration as he planted his feet on the ground, pushing forwards through the air with both hands before flicking them skywards, uprooting massive slabs of earth that cracked the ice and dislodged massive drifts of snow. He grunted as he extended his arms in a big push, a line of broken and churning earth rumbling towards the figure's feet as he stood still once again, doing nothing at all against his show of earthbending.

Suspicion was far from his thoughts as lifted his arms again and exhaled, the fissure ceased right at the figure's feet a brief instant before the ground all around him rose upwards and encased him in a thick cage of rock and ice, completely immobilizing him.

A split second later, pieces of rock and shattered ice inhabited the air around him as he sliced through his rock prison with ease, undoing Bolin's work in one move with astounding ease, almost like Bolin had just thrown a pebble at him.

Bolin yelped as he sailed through the air, crashing to a halt near Asami's feet. The three of them choked and gasped for air as he came closer, a palm aimed down at them to draw the air out of their lungs in a slow and painful process.

Just lifting her head out of the snow almost overwhelmed Korra to the point of her vision flickering in and out dangerously as she found it hard to breathe or think. She managed to open one of her eyes, seeing the hooded man stooped over her friends. As her thoughts flickered and slowed and her muscles burned and ached, her instinct turned her eyes golden and her thoughts blazed with the idea that _anyone would dare hurt her friends._

* * *

土


	16. The Wind's Whisper, the Shark's Grin

土

* * *

Someone was playing _drums _in his head.

Every limb, every single inch of Mako's body had some level of throbbing to it that just would not relent. He could even feel the joints in each one of his fingers stinging like crazy.

He tried to think, to formulate a plan about taking down the angry group of bloodbending cultists most likely bearing down on him any second now, but the constant pounding put a stop to his weak attempt.

So Mako tried another tactic, slower but something that would definitely help him recover enough to start thinking clearly. Deep breaths, in and out in a calm and slow rhythm. Luckily he didn't have any thoughts trying to distract him from concentrating on his breathing, which he felt was a mixed blessing.

It seemed a little strange to him hearing muffled voices, most triad members he'd come across would have just taken advantage of him being near unconscious and snuffed him out there and then. Maybe these ones were having a discussion about keeping him hostage and holding him for ransom?

That he doubted even further, triad members, especially _Monsoons_, usually didn't take officers alive unless they were from the metalbending squad or held a high ranking position in the force. He was just a beat cop for _Agni's sake_.

A beat cop that was a long way from home and with only a waterbending detective for backup. Boto had a better chance of being held hostage than him, Mako hadn't failed to notice Rorik's strong interest with him in particular. Mako couldn't decide if it was creepy or just par for the course with bloodbenders.

Mako heard the voices again, a little clearer and sharper this time. It sounded like a woman and a man and from the tone, both young. Probably low-level goons freshly taken from the streets or recruited into Rorik's little personality cult.

A sharp and quick stinging sensation on his cheek sped up his thoughts as his eyes flew open. Mako's first instinct was to sit up, only for his forehead to slam into something solid and metal with a solid ringing thunk.

"I'd advise not moving. You're still out of it, officer."

For a moment he could have sworn that was Tai talking, but the little punk was probably off having the time of his life, playing around in the snow with his overgrown wolf and making googly eyes at Korra-

Immediately he stopped those vicious thoughts, his mother taught him better. He focused on his breathing once more, trying vainly to ignore the pounding in his head that had only grown in magnitude.

First things first, he had to find out where exactly he was and who was nearby in case he needed to make a break for it. The pounding intensfied and he felt a burning sensation in his side. He didn't like the fact that someone was watching over him, it made him feel like everything was out of control, that he couldn't change anything.

The first step to that was asking where he was. It was a gamble, he didn't even know _who_ was standing there. But he had to if he had any chance of getting away from wherever he was and meeting up with Boto. "Whe- Where am I?" He coughed and sputtered as his barely-there voice gave out, his throat burning intensely after the effort of saying a few words.

"A trading post near the White Lotus compound." The voice answered immediately with a level tone, making it difficult for Mako to pin down his identity.

Slowly the burning in his throat lessened and the aches and pains all over his body faded in their intensity just a little. And the pounding had stopped too, a blessing that Mako thanked.

With the pounding gone and the aches fading, Mako found he could open his eyes and move without too much difficulty. Slowly he sat up, keeping a eye on the rusted brown piping just above him, not wanting to have a physical meeting with it a second time. He slowly scanned the room, noticing that most of it was taken up by workbenches with tools on them, and engine parts strewn across their surface. This was a workshop.

It was then that he laid eyes on the owner of the voice. A young man with calm grey eyes and light brown hair with his face marred by a horrendous scar. He also couldn't fail noticing the two sabres strapped to his back or the bolas and smoke canisters on his belt.

He _had_ seen this guy before. In the arena during the Equalist's victory rally. He nearly killed Korra while she was out risking her neck for Tai. Tarrin. He felt his self-control slipping and his good graces disappearing, but he managed to stop them at least for a short while. He couldn't afford to fly off the handle right now.

Mako looked around the room, scanning to see if Boto was in there with him. He narrowed his eyes at the young equalist. "Where's my partner?"

"Couldn't drag the two of you out of that warehouse. I had to make a choice."

"A choice?" Great, it was because of this idiot that Boto was probably being held captive by the Monsoons. "Why drag me out of there at all? Last I checked, Equalists aren't fans of benders."

"Don't mistake this for a generous act, officer-"

"So why drag me out of there?"

The young man narrowed his grey eyes and folded his arms, his voice lowering to the beginnings of a growl. "Your partner is a waterbender. He can survive in the cold for days if he has to. A firebender like you wouldn't a few hours."

Mako shut himself up, unable to deny the cold logic of what he was saying. He himself had to the make same call many times in the past to survive in the streets.

"There's also another reason." Tarrin admitted, looking him in the eye with a hard expression. "You've been tailing a hooded airbender. I want to know where he's headed."

"No way." Mako growled, done with playing nice. "You were the one who hurt Korra. Why in any way should I help you?"

Tarrin's jaw tightened as he leveled a calm but dangerous look at Mako.

"He's a threat to the Equalists. And to my little brother as well. That's why I need to find him. Tell me."

His little brother. Mako folded his arms. "White Lotus Compound is the only place that deep in." The words tore out of him as a growl.

"Thank you." Tarrin said quietly, a genuine light in his eyes.

"Tarrin." The Equalist looked up to see a welcome sight coming through the door, stopping for a moment when she noticed that Mako was awake before moving towards him. "Scouts caught sight of him moving towards the central wastes before a blizzard came out of nowhere." She sighed and shook her head. "We lost track of him near the Fire Nation wreck."

"Good work, Yem." He smiled warmly at her, thankful that she was among those who chose to stay after the revolution fractured.

"Thanks. But there's more. I doubled back to the wreck and noticed movement. Someone's in there. It could be him."

"Or Rorik." He knew a chance like this didn't come along often. He placed a hand on Yem's shoulder. "I want you to travel back to the wreck and observe his movements. Radio us when the time comes. Keep safe."

"Hold up!" She stopped and glanced at Mako as he stared at her, fists clenched. "I'm going with you. My partner could be out there somewhere."

"No promises." She nodded slowly to show Tarrin she understood and reluctantly stepped away from him, before heading back out of the room.

* * *

_Fire Nation Wreck, South Pole._

Boto drew his breath in gasping shudders as he spat a glob of blood and spit out, wiping his mouth as he fought through the haze of pain stopping him from getting up and moving. He shifted a little on the slanted metal wall of the twisted and broken corridor, looking up at the hole he fell through, which punched through at least three separate rooms before stopping at the corridor he currently laid in, injured and bleeding.

That fall nearly killed him, he couldn't let Rorik get the drop on him like that again or he'd be finished. He willed himself to get up and with a great pained grunt he did, one foot balanced on the metal wall underneath him and the other on the slanted floor.

Spirits, he found it disorienting just trying to stand up without trying to gauge where he was in relation to the ground. The interior of this ship had no concept of up or down.

He could hardly hear the sound of footsteps on metal over his heavy breathing as he hobbled down the corridor, having to take it extra slow to avoid slipping and braining himself on a jagged doorframe or piece of metal plating poking out of the wall he stood on.

The corridor would have been next to pitch black if it wasn't for the full moon's light shining through holes and fissures in the metal scattered up and down the corridor's length.

He hobbled past a few doors on either side of him, either fused shut by the ice coating the doorframe or completely blocked up by a pile of twisted metal and gnarled iced over wood.

Everything had a coating of ice or frost over it, making it almost unbearably cold to him. He took back those earlier thoughts about finding shelter in the ship, he'd be better off with a campfire and his waterbending.

Just as he turned a corner, following the corridor as it turned a perfect ninety degrees he heard a loud thud echoing through the ship, coming from where he had just came from. Cursing he quickly looked for a way out of the corridor, seeing a slightly ajar door nearby. He pushed it but it wouldn't budge, the level of ice on its doorframe stopping it from opening or closing properly.

Having no time to lose, he took his chances and slammed his shoulder into the coating, trying to make the cracks wider and wider. The narrow confines of the corridor didn't allow for the long flowing movements he needed to waterbend. He grunted and bit down on his tongue as his shoulder started to throb like no tomorrow, and with one final push the ice shattered completely and his momentum barged the door open and sent him tumbling into the room.

Like the rest of the ship everything in the room was covered with a ghostly white coating of frost. His breath came out in shuddering wisps as he picked himself up and stopped moving, making no noise so he could hear footsteps coming his way.

To his relief there weren't any. He sighed and looked over the room, seeing that the walls mostly had weapon racks lined up against them. They'd be useless to him. He continued scanning, his gaze falling on the center table and the draws covering its sides.

Pausing to listen for footsteps nearby for a moment and being rewarded with nothing, he swept the table clear of debris and clutter. He fished around in a pocket on his greatcoat for a moment, carefully dragging out the frozen solid sheet and holding it out in front of him.

The room he was in was wide and spacious enough for him to waterbend. He concentrated and slowed his breathing, before positioning his hand just above the top edge of the sheet before slowly moving it down, like wiping a window clean.

Slowly, the ice covering its surface melted and thinned, warming up and converting into drops of water. Lucky for him the ship's layout was drawn in waterproof ink. He wiggled his fingers and moved his hand towards his chest, lifting the warm water droplets off of the sheet's surface and into the air, collected into a small globule.

Thinking for a moment he refrained from letting it splash onto the floor, instead opening his mouth and feeding it in. He closed his eyes as the warm water went down his throat, not realising how parched he was until now. He mentally slapped himself for forgetting yet another survival rule from his dad.

Now that the sheet was fully uncovered it showed a sharp and clear layout of the entire ship, contained within the knife-like profile of the outer hull as a well-organized and interconnected warren of rooms and passageways, all at varying lengths. He had only been flung ten metres or so away from the front wall of the conning tower so... he tapped his finger on a small room near the side of the ship, separated from the outer hull by a single corridor that went down the ships entire length.

His goal laid in a massive central square, a deeper shade of grey ink to show which level of the ship it was located in. Fourth deck. He just needed to find a staircase or fire escape and that would take him straight-

A gut-wrenching yell tore itself out of him as his muscles burned and his feet left the floor. His eyes went wide on reflex and in the corner of them he spotted Rorik slowly advancing from a open door, opposite from the one he entered from. He had his arms raised and elbows bent slightly as he waved his fingers in jerky abrupt movements.

"You didn't run far enough, Boto. That's not like you at all." He purred, chuckling a little as Boto tried to stifle the pained groans coming out of him. "I had to admit, I was surprised to see that those Equalists picked up that firebender and not you as well. Maybe they wanted us to have this one on one, eh?"

Despite the fact that he could feel every muscle in his body twitching and writhing he managed to crack the barest hint of a smirk. "Aren't they considerate?"

Rorik's pale blue eyes narrowed as the wrinkles around his mouth lifted in a sickening smile, showing the razor-thin points of his teeth. "Quite."

He heard a wet crunch as he felt his shoulder slam into something, with a naseauting wave of pain following up. He fought the urge to throw up, instead keeping trying to breathe as much as possible. He barely heard the footsteps coming closer, almost unable to focus beyond the searing pain centered in his shoulder. "I'll give you a headstart, and I'll tell you a little something about Kurso as a bonus if you just bloodbend, kid."

Boto swore he could hear his life ticking down as Rorik lifted him into the air once again, tossing him out into the corridor like a sack of potatoes. He bit down on a gasp and kept a hand on his shoulder as he stood up immediately, fighting through a fresh wave of nausea as he limped down the hallway and found himself heading deeper into the bowels of the ship, well-aware of the sadistic bloodbender that will soon come after him.

* * *

_Senna and Tonraq's Home, South Pole._

The hooded man rotated his wrist and flexed his fingers a little, keeping the slow stream of air at a controlled flow out of the three teen's lungs. Slow enough that they could still find their breath, but enough that it hurt every single time they took one.

One of them reached a hand towards him, slowly clenching it into a fist as he coughed and gasped, small sparks dancing in and out of existence between his fingers. The hooded man felt a brief flash of puzzlement at the strange display, before dismissing it as immediately as it came.

He had his attention focused on the only one of them left standing, calmly satisfied with how she had slipped into the state how quickly. And how predictably.

The blazing nimbus of thoughts in her head constantly jostled and vied, making it impossible for her to focus or concentrate or even hold onto herself. A growl rose out of her at the sight of the hooded man torturing her friends.

She cared for only one thing. Making him wish he'd never been born. She went to move forward, about to break into a sprint and charge head-on when a presence filled her mind, stopping her cold and filling her with a calming sensation.

_Wait_.

Korra didn't want to wait, and she didn't care that it was Aang's voice telling her to do so, she only wanted to hurt the man, to pound him into the dust, to blast him to oblivion-

Unleashing a furious shout, she pushed the calming voice back into her squirming thoughts and ran forwards, vision tinged with a golden hue as nothing but rage filled her.

Whereas before she needed to concentrate and focus when waterbending, now that wasn't neccessary. With barely a flicker of thought great chunks of ice and snow all around her cracked and churned as they lifted up into the air, hanging ponderously as she directed all her fury at the hooded man.

She imposed her will over the chunks of ice and snow under her command, sending most of them slamming together and melting them down into each other, forming a large, thick and viscous ribbon of ice-cold water that would instantly chill the bones. With the rest she merely settled for shattering them into thousands of pieces, clumping them together into hundreds of sharp and long icicles with razor-sharp tips.

The ribbon of water extended itself around the hooded figure and herself into a complete ring while she lifted her hand towards him, the swarm of icicles spreading themselves out just above the ribbon so that their tips pointed inwards, and surrounded the figure completely with a storm of ice.

Infuriatingly, he tilted his head and didn't move at all, seemingly undaunted by the astounding display of power she had at her will.

A strong voice, rooted and uncompromising, whispered to her and played into her thoughts of quashing him like a insect, it would so easy, with a wave of her arm he would be perforated by hundreds of points and drowned by many gallons of freezing water, all she had to do was just-

_No._

Aang's infuriatingly calm voice sounded in her head, completely drowning the tones of Kyoshi and steadily filling her with a calming sensation that she didn't want or need.

Growling, inwardly she lashed out against his voice only for it to grow stronger and more forceful in tone.

_Your friends are in the way_.

Korra blinked twice, the golden hue in her eyes losing a tiny amount of lustre as she noticed the three bodies in the snow by the hooded figure's feet, vaguely remembering that Bolin, Asami and Tai were their names.

_Crush him_, _your friends will not be harmed_.

Kyoshi's voice sounded large and dominating as it invaded her thoughts, and she found herself being immersed in the golden hue again, fury and wrath drowning out any rational thoughts.

Roaring Korra flung her arms out to the sides, outstretched from her body with her palms splayed wide open. She felt a incredible rush of energy from the earth below rushing up her feet and legs, and from them spreading to her arms and outstretched palms. She could feel her skin tingling and buzzing with wild energy as she slowly swung her arms back so that they pointed behind her shoulders.

And even as she did this, the hooded figure still did not move a single inch.

Blinded by the golden hue and loosing a powerful grunt she threw her arms forwards. The swarms of icicles surrounding the hooded figure zoomed towards the hooded figure from every direction, their tips spinning viciously as they sliced through the air getting closer and closer by the millisecond.

With a thousand razor-tips a miniscule distance from him, the hooded figure lifted a arm and splayed his palm, flexing it a little.

Just as the first tip dug into the thick fabric of the hooded man's clothing it shattered completely, the myriad shards sent spinning into the snow at his feet. The others followed suit, throwing themselves at him and shattering on impact just like the first.

Korra's vision was limited by the golden hue, but she still noticed a few of the shards had landed dangerously close to her friends. The lustre dulled a little she realized this and she managed to grab hold of a few of her own thoughts for a brief moment-

Something heavy and strong slammed into her chest, and her own thoughts submerged again as the golden hue in her eyes flared brightly for a few moments in response to the threat.

Skidding through the snow, she felt her body throw a arm out and dig its fingers into the snow, almost cracking the ice underneath with its supernaturally strong grip. She came to a halt instantly, a jarring pain surfacing in her shoulder for only a instant before being suppressed by the euphoric feeling of the golden hue.

The hooded figure stood only a short distance away, walking at a slow pace with purpose towards her.

She felt a small flash of fear in her stomach, quickly suppressed by instinct that made her punch forward with her arm in a wild movement. Her eyes blazed as the earth hidden under the ice shifted, and the ice between her and the oncoming swordsman cracked as the earth below split open in violent force.

The fissure shot forward, veering in several sharp angles as the ice sheets on either side of it broke and shattered from the chunks of earth breaking free and lifting into the air, whipping around the hooded figure's head and clumping together in a massive misshapen boulder.

Just as the widening fissure reached the hooded figure's feet she loosed a blood-curdling howl of rage and slammed her palms together and pushed her arms forwards, the boulder spun crazily as it beared down on her opponent's head, easily dwarfing him in size as it threatened to crush him like a insect-

Korra registered the sound of a sword being unsheathed, something familiar to her from being around Tai, and her eyes widened on reflex as they beheld the bisected halves of the massive boulder crashing to the ground in twin thuds, with each sporting a impossibly smooth and flat side now.

A break in the turgid clouds above allowed the full moon to shine down, its light being caught brilliantly on the obsidian colored blade just finished slicing through a boulder.

The hooded figure landed lightly on his feet, looking none the worse for wear as he continued walking calmly towards her.

She barely registered that she was swaying a little as she snarled and took a step back, sending powerful but uncontrolled bursts of air at him with a series of uncoordinated punches and kicks. He deflected them with a brief flick of his blade, sometimes even catching them with it and dissipating them on impact.

She didn't realize how much those series of airbending strikes had cost her until her legs slackened and her arms edged closer and closer to becoming dead weights.

Breathing heavily she took a few more steps back, hearing that calm voice from before loud in her thoughts.

_Think clearly, don't act on instinct!_

But she could barely hear Aang, now acutely aware of how loud her breathing had become and how ragged her movements were becoming. With a dim flicker of thought she also realized how hard it was getting to concentrate on the threat approaching her, finding it even harder to submerge herself back into the golden pool and get her previous strength back.

Just as she thought she was on the very brink with no options left, a voice, older sounding and more measured than Aang's rang in her thoughts with a sharp and clear tone.

_Let me guide you_.

She drew in a large ragged gasp of air and squared her shoulders, emptying her mind of all distractions except for the wise voice and her own thoughts. They weren't moving as sluggishly as before anymore as she narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, taking one quick step forward and throwing her hands out with palms splayed.

The hooded man slowed for a moment but still kept coming closer and closer to her, making her heart quicken its beats with grim anticipation.

Summoning every last dreg of energy she had from every source she could find, she breathed out and swiped her arms outwards, feeling a rush of warm energy flow into her arms, reinvigorating them with their passage towards her hands.

Instinct took over as the air around the hooded man visibly started to vibrate and hum, and he himself started to appear blurry and almost intangible in her vision, although the black blade of his sword was still definitely real and deadly.

Letting one last yell, the air around her caught alight with bright orange flames, pushing outwards and instantly melting the ice and snow below to slurry as they roared and roiled. Steam lifted up from the ice as it continued to melt into a single smooth mass, catching the hooded man off-guard for a brief instant as the hum coming from the vibrating air continued to grow louder and louder.

Whatever triumph Korra felt was quashed as the humming intensified and jumped in shrillness, making her ears hurt and her scream as the expanding inferno suffocated and died to nothing, not even leaving embers behind.

She slumped to the ground, her heart pounding louder then ever in her head as she felt the golden hue disappear and the myriad voices of the avatars fade away. She felt hollow and empty as she stared without seeing at the hooded figure as he continued to approach like nothing had happened-

Suddenly he flickered and pointed his blade straight at her, gradually picking up speed before slipping into a lightning quick lunge that would surely-

The hooded man twisted and grunted as something hit his shoulder and knocked him off-balance for a brief moment, Korra's eyes fluttered as she watched another blade, silvery and straight-edged, slice through the air where he had just been. She would have called out a warning if she could as she spotted the hooded figure's blazing grey eyes looming behind the longcoat wearing boy, but her voice would not work and she could only watch helplessly as she spotted the black blade, about slice into the boy's ribs from the side-

In that moment Tai had become a blur, almost whisper silent with his eyes narrowed and a palm placed on the hooded figure's chest. With his other hand slanted towards the ground he pushed back and pushed a stream of air down at the same time, using it to disorient the hooded figure's vision and launch himself towards her.

Except even that wasn't enough. The hooded figure planted his hand firmly on the boy's chest and blasted a pulse of air point blank.

Tai grunted once before he crashed to the ground, skidding to a halt just in front of her. Her eyes glued themselves to the hooded figure now lunging at her, blade extended like the pointing finger of fate-

The tip halted immediately, the hooded figure frozen in time as he beheld the spectacle of a bruised and beaten boy shielding Korra with his own body.

His eyes barely stayed open and he found he couldn't focus at all as he stared up at the hooded figure, resisting the urge to swallow with the blade tip so close to his neck. "Don't. Touch her!"

The words had some kind of effect on the hooded figure, he retracted his blade and stood there, unmoving and silent as a statue.

Korra used the time to try and catch some of her breath, just focusing on how she could get out of here alive, her eyes fluttered again as a wave of fatigue slammed into her, just as the hooded figure stared into her with those eyes. "You know nothing, just like before." She shivered at how he kept his gaze steady on her while directing his words at Tai, who responded with a barely audible growl.

She heard a whump, indicating something large and heavy travelling through the air at great speed towards them. The hooded figure grunted in surprise as a large chunk of frost covered rock slammed him into the snow as its thrower stepped into view. "Gotcha!" He exclaimed in triumph, pointing a finger at his downed foe.

The hooded man picked himself up, and Korra watched in desperation as he readied his blade and advanced on Bolin, stalking towards with the same deliberate movement he did with her.

Something hummed as it powered up, and a raven-haired ghost leapt out of the snowy haze near him, the electrical arc from her discharger glove only missing contact with his shoulder by inches.

The swordsman made a noise that sounded like something approaching approval as he twisted, sending the blade slicing through the hair towards Asami. She yelped and tipped back, a few strands of hair being sliced off instead of her shoulder or head.

Korra willed herself to stand, or even to raise her arms and throw a few fireballs but nothing happened as she felt her vision flicker a little, vaguely hearing a whistling noise as massive and small icicles slammed into the ground around the hooded figure, forcing him to dance back out of harm's way farther away from the four of them.

The hooded figure stared straight at her again, holding it for a few seconds before melting into the hazy white blind, already completely out of sight.

Her vision dimmed again as Tai stood up and ran forwards, going in the direction the hooded figure had just disappeared into. Out of nowhere she heard a bark as a grey shape low against the ground, sped after him as fast as possible.

A yell was completely beyond her as two figures resembling her parents ran straight towards her, just before her vision went completely black.

* * *

_Fire Nation Wreck, South Pole._

He stopped, looking down the corridors that cut across the one he stood in, making sure they were completely devoid of movement or noise before limping past them. The yawning darkness visible down the length of either one wasn't what had him spooked.

Boto froze as a cackling laugh reverberate throughout the ship, making it seem like it was close by. But in the half-hour or so he had spent inside the ship, trying to avoid the bloodbender while cautiously making his way to the ship's hold, he knew that most likely Rorik was in a completely different area of the ship.

That didn't bring him any comfort or security at all; the man knew where he was at all times, he was just playing with him.

Luckily for him the corridor only ran a short length before ending at a closed door, the edges frosted over just like the hundred others or so he had passed by. Without even pausing to stop he wave his hand, sending cracks through the ice that covered the doorframe. Hundreds of little flakes of ice fell to the floor at his feet and the old hinges of the door squealed and grinded together as it swung open, revealing the ghostly confines of a massive space, nearly pitch black apart from the rents in the walls allowing light in.

If he remembered Katara's history lessons correctly, Fire Nation ships all had a hold like this running through the center of the ship's lower decks, with the engine room at the aft and the loading ramp at the bow, which also acted as a reinforced battering ram and landing ramp for troops.

He moved out onto the walkway overlooking the cavernous space, leaning forwards on the rail for a moment to catch his breath and get his bearings.

A frown surfaced on his face as he registered footsteps, sounding like they were coming from somewhere within the hold. He scanned the darkness as best he could, finding he was unable to pick out any shapes or objects at all.

A cackling laugh reverberated through the cavernous space as he prepared to whip around, ready to fight when his entire body stiffened and a invisible force slammed into his back, bashing his stomach against the railing hard enough that all the air rushed out of his lungs at once, bloodbending lifted him into the air and pitched him headfirst over the rail, slamming him into the floor in the center of the hold.

Gasping for air he screwed his eyes shut, the pain alone stopping him from moving or getting up. Doing that was next to impossible anyway when the invisible force took hold of him again and lifted him to his feet, locking his entire body in place as he heard his bones and muscles squealing in protest.

"You know..." Something slid him forwards, closer to Rorik's vicious smirk and bloodthirsty eyes. "We haven't really had a face-face chat for a _long time_, have we?"

Rorik poked a finger at Boto's chin, chuckling a little as he snatched a thick saw-toothed machete from a loop on his belt and dugged the tip in just a little, drawing a few beads of blood. "You could easily overpower me, you know. Just let instinct take over. Its easy!"

In-between ragged breaths he shook his head. "...Never." He hissed, absolutely refusing to give in to that part of him. He grunted as the muscles in his shoulders burned and prickled as Rorik flexed his wrist and wiggled his fingers in jerky movements.

"Hmm. What's this?" Rorik squatted down and picked up a small strip of paper, eyes lighting up as he turned it over and saw the two names printed on it. "So this is what's got you in such a bother? Its just two names, I don't see how-"

"Shut up. Why is my father's name on there!" Boto gritted his teeth as the muscles in his abdomen burned, but he ignored it and kept his gaze on Rorik, who still had a grin on him.

"Kurso... Kurso... Where have I heard that name-"

"Why?!"

Boto gasped as the tip of the machete bit in a little deeper and slid a little, making a small cut on the side of his chin. Rorik giggled at first, then burst into outright laughter, shutting Boto up for a few seconds. "A bruiser like him as your father!? That's rich, kid!" He clamped hand over his mouth to stifle the giggles coming out as he shook his head.

"Why-" Rorik pushed his face close, staring deep into Boto's eyes. Boto could smell the blood on his breath, stifling a gag.

"You really don't see the truth of things, do you?"

Something in Boto snapped and he yelled, intent on ripping apart Rorik's insides. He fought off the bloodbender's grip and threw a wild haymaker at him, his fist didn't connect, but something else did as Rorik's eyes widened at the shock of most of the muscles in his abdomen contracting together at the same time. Even then he still managed to keep giggling, even as Boto punched forwards and sent him flying into the darkness of the hold, hitting the floor with a solid and bony crunch a few seconds later.

He breathed heavily, unable to believe that he had just lost control like that. Something came over him as he limped towards where Rorik was laying, limbs twisted and body mangled. He frowned as the bastard's eyes flew open and he kept on _giggling_. "Wow! You got some talent kid! Come work for me and we'll-"

"SHUT UP!" Boto roared, flinging hands out to either side of him and closing his eyes, a few seconds later he opened them and slammed his palms together.

Nothing happened for a few seconds and as Rorik stood up, rolling his shoulders and brandishing his saw-toothed machete he could only focus on what a mistake he made, but then his world rumbled and lurched. The ship squealed as several muffled thuds rang throughout the hold. His gaze shifted to the walls and Boto watched as they buckled and tore themselves apart, releasing torrents of ice-cold water forcing its way into the ship.

But the spectacle wasn't done yet. The floor in front of him cracked open as the part of the ship Rorik stood on began to fill with water, slowly sinking as the water trapped underneath the entire wreck emerged forth to reclaim the ship.

His mind could hardly comprehend what he had just done, and was in the process of trying to figure it out when he realized he was still inside a frozen sinking deathtrap.

Before he could move or react a torrent of water slammed into him from behind, instantly knocking him out and sending his vision into the black.

Boto felt cold again.

Everything felt numb as he lifted his head up, vaguely noticing he was lying face down in the snow. He fought to keep his eyes open as he found himself looking at a ship, in the process of being claimed by a pool of ice-cold water that continued to grow as chunks of ice and snow snapped off and fell in periodically with large splashes.

Pushing a hand down in the snow he slowly lifted himself out of the snow, swaying as he sat on his knees and tried to get his breath back.

Slowly, gradually he achieved that goal. As his eyes ran over the sinking wreck he lost his breath again.

A waterspout broke through the surface near the side of the ship with Rorik balancing on top, his sawtooth machete in hand and a mildly angry expression on him. He guided the waterspout closer to show and landed near a chunk of ice just as it snapped off, dropping into the widening pool behind him.

He could hardly feel his arms as he willed them to work, trying to gather his wits and waterbend before Rorik could get any closer.

The bloodbender stalker closer and closer, a widening smirk on his gaunt features.

Boto forced himself to calm and focus, not moving a muscle to conserve energy as he got within ten meters, lifting his arm and swishing the machete about. As soon as he closed in to five meters and less, Boto acted, swiping his arm across.

The snow at Rorik's feet swept across his legs and feet, freezing instantly into a cold hard block of ice.

As Rorik struggled for a second and Boto's vision started fluttering again, a dark blur leapt into view from out of nowhere, brandishing a short blade and plunging it deep into the bloodbender's shoulder.

Rorik's eyes widened in surprise as he grunted, breaking the ice and backing away towards the sinking wreck. He dived into the water and picked up speed, going as fast as a torpedo as his head dipped under the surface of the dark water.

Boto's vision fluttered again as he looked up at his savior, vaguely recognizing the pale-brown eyes and short raven hair before falling unconscious again.

* * *

土**  
**


	17. The Blizzard's Howl, the Spirit's Call

土

* * *

_Frozen Wastes._

Tai ran as fast as he could manage, vision bobbing and head occasionally pounding while fighting to keep the barely-there blur of the hooded man in sight, not affording him a chance to slip into the white maelstrom that whipped and roared around him.

Korra told him that blizzards usually blanketed entire regions of the South Pole, so the fact that the recent ones had been so small but ferocious only lead to one conclusion that he definitely didn't want to consider.

They were dealing with a airbender of such skill that he could control the wind over a large area, whip up gale force winds on _a whim_, and use airbending to accelerate to incredible speeds enabling him to move in the blink of an eye.

Long ago he knew someone who had enough raw skill and experience to use this level of master airbending. But he was _long buried_.

At least, Tai thought he _was_.

A shock of roaring wind blew straight into his already freezing face, sending a stinging sensation across his skin as he ran full pelt while fighting through the snowblind, slowing to a jog as he constantly scanned his white surroundings.

He stopped for a moment, pulling on the drawstrings dangling on either side of his fur-lined hood to tighten the opening, trying to protect his face from the brunt of the wind.

Rubbing his hands together to get some meager warmth into them he continued forward, relying less on sight and more on hearing.

Barely, just barely, he heard the faint crunch of boots on snow somewhere nearby. Moving with caution and the knowledge of who he was following, he kept his ear out for more sounds and scanned for movement, particularly of the type that usually came bundled with roaring masses of wind that could easily crack concrete or bones.

He grunted in annoyance as only the constant keening wind reached his ears, the guy could be anywhere by now and he wouldn't even know better. Recapturing his focus he kept moving, taking the time to spark a small flame in the palm of his hand for comfort and so his eyes could focus on something other than the dark and grubby haze of snow and wind.

Alone with his thoughts, he didn't want to focus on how stupid a idea this was. A small rational part of him yelled not to when he watched the hooded bastard dissapear into the snow with barely a whisper. He knew he was walking into a trap of some kind, or at least going to be walk around aimlessly as the blizzard picked apart all sense of direction.

But, he never really did listen to rationality in the first place.

Tai kept trudging through the snow, every step getting more and more arduous as the snow beneath grew thicker and deeper. Without warning something snagged his leading foot and he tumbled forward, landing face first in the snow as the wind picked up.

Shaking his head to stop the spinning he lifted his head and looked back, arching a eyebrow at the large and thickly grown tree root sticking out of the ground in a arch shape. Its bark was a glossy greying brown, with the fissures inbetween them filled completely with a strange black sap that looked like tar... it looked sickly.

Not bothering to wonder why a tree root was sticking out of the middle of a frozen wasteland, he picked himself up and continued on, stopping immediately at the sound of a dark whisper.

_Why follow?_

The boy's eyes widened inside the hood at the sound of the low and deep whisper, and he whipped his head around to get a look at his surroundings, still seeing nothing but gloom snow and feeling nothing but the sting of mournful wind.

His throat felt dry as he swallowed, keeping a constant lookout as he reached his hand up to his sword's sheath, slowly closing his gloved fingers around the worn black leather of the handle and giving a little tug.

The whisper's again, although this time he wasn't sure if they were coming from his darkening surroundings or his own thoughts.

They were unpronounceable words that he couldn't recognise, light and flowing into his ears with airy ease, sounding completely alien to anything he had ever heard before.

The whispering subsided, fading away as a keening wind grew in strength and fury, he recognised the warning signs immediately and draw his sword with a sharp rang, holding it in front of him with the blade laying horizontally with his palm hovering nearby, ready to go at a moment's notice.

He stayed like that, thoughts racing as he went through every possible technique or trick he could use to stay alive.

_Too slow_.

Something heavy and with momentous momentum slammed into his chest, his world tumbled and his ears rang as his head pounded and he lost his breath. It was all he could do to stop from blacking out right there and then, so great was the force of the impact. He kept tumbling and tumbling, great handfuls of snow being thrown into the air all around him as his speeding body dug a steadily deepening furrow through the snow, without warning his passage was halted as something hard slammed into his head, his eyes watered as he threw out a hand, grabbing whatever it was and blasting a wild unfocused stream of air to stop himself from moving any further.

Breathing heavily with his entire body aching and trembling, he realized that his feet found nothing but air and he glanced behind him to see a expanse of open air below his legs as they dangled limply. He grunted as his arm began to burn, taking his attention back to what his hand had grabbed onto.

Another tree root, this time growing right near the edge of a sheer drop he currently hanged in front of. He resisted the urge to look down, instead focusing on trying to pull himself up and _not_ break his legs in a fall.

Focusing on nothing but keeping his grip firm gave Tai surprising strength, he managed to pull himself up, feeling the fierce burn in his arm mounting almost to a unbearable level before he was close enough to the lip of the cliff to swing his legs over the side. Immediately he rolled away from the edge, catching a fleeting view of the root breaking off and falling down, fading away into a ghostly fog that covered the entirety of whatever was down there.

Gasping for air he rolled over onto his back and just _breathed_, seriously considering the idea of getting out of there.

Slowly his need for air subsided as his breathing returned to normal, he stood up quickly only to stumble as a sharp spike of pain came from his left ankle. Waiting until it subsided he stood still, shaking his head to get snow out of his hair as he surveyed the haze in front of him, seeing and hearing nothing but wind like before.

The wind dropped sharply and he readied himself for another attack, the next seconds of his life tense as he watched for the flash of a highly polished black blade. He grunted when nothing came and turned around as a sharp whistle swept through the air.

His eyes widened at the sight of a massive glacial slab of ice that loomed above high above his head, even though it reached down through the grey fog as well, seemingly neverending.

It glowed with a supernaturally soft blue light emanating from within, with black twisting shapes frozen inside its structure, poking out of its sides or heading further down it. Tree roots.

He felt a chill go down his spine at the sight of a outcropping of rock jutting out from the glacier below, a yawning pitch black maw suffocated by black sickly roots snaking their way over the walls, traveling into the cave.

"Quite a haunting spectacle, is it not?"

Tai's eyes flashed as fear settled in his stomach, pushed down by pure grit as he reached a hand to his sword, about to draw it before turning fully and focusing on the black tip hovering only a few inches away from his now exposed throat.

His grip on his sword's handle slackened and slowly he dropped his hands, staring daggers at the hooded man and suppressing a dry swallow.

"There are many places like this scattered across the lands. I have visited many of them during my travels, constantly searching for answers, finding nothing..." The hooded man's muttering trailed off, although the blade was still fixed like a point against Tai's throat. He muttered something under his breath, his grey eyes flashing as he leveled a look of utter indifference at the boy. "You still haven't learned caution, student. Hmph. Disappointing."

The blade poked into his throat a little, drawing a few drops of blood that settled on the tip as the hooded man mouthed a few words silently to himself, taking his eyes off Tai for a few seconds.

As subtly as he could, Tai shifted the position of his hand, so that his fingertips were hidden from view just before the hooded man settled back on him again. "Curious. You've lost that look in your eyes."

The boy didn't respond, his eyes still narrowed as he slowly started to feed energy into his fingertips, feeling a slight tingling sensation starting to surface.

"Being around the Avatar must have vanquished that side of you. No, no... A quaint notion, but irrelevant to here and now." The hooded man's grey eyes flashed as he pressed the tip into Tai's throat, his gaze going hard.

"Hello, Master _Telei_." Tai smirked and acted, flicking his wrist up and blasting a small pulse of air, knocking the blade away from his throat as the hand hidden behind his back thrummed with energy, Tai snapped that hand forward, aiming a ball of super-pressurized air towards Telei's chest that would-

Telei made a unimpressed noise and swiped his blade through the air between them, a razor sharp crescent of wind shot downwards, cutting through the ice and rock below Tai's feet like butter.

A gut wrenching yell tore itself from his throat as the ice and rock underneath him crumbled completely, pitching him down into the grey fog below. It completely smothered him, limiting every attempt to try and right himself before he hit the ground below.

Instinct kicked in, just as the sight of snow and rock rushing up to meet him. He managed to throw his hand out in front of him, desperation forming a cushion of air below him.

A blinding pain bloomed in his shoulder as his fall came to a jarring halt, he gritted his teeth and suppressed the urge to scream or yell, vision swimming as he bounced off of the cushion of air and into the snow nearby. Fighting to keep conscious he pulled at the air around the snow, half-covering himself just before he ran out of energy and couldn't stop from going into the black.

The hooded man waited a few moments, peering down into the fog for a few seconds until hearing a meaty thud. Although he was unconvinced that his own student could be bested so easily, he still didn't expect that the disappointment would be surviving long in such a place.

He turned on a dime and left, boots crunching through the snow as the blizzard raged while occasionally a night sky studded with stars poked through gaps in the thick clouds.

* * *

_White Lotus Compound._

The first thing she felt was a shiver going down her spine as something soft but cold touched the skin on her forehead. Slowly she stirred, her head a complete mess as it worked to collect her own thoughts and hold onto them, trying hard to find them amidst the slowly fading sea of thoughts and ideas that weren't hers.

She could no longer hear Aang's calming voice, and for a few fleeting moments she felt a stab of fear from losing the comfort her predecessor brought her. Although relief washed that fear away when Kyoshi's hard and striking tones seemed to be gone as well.

Feeling more and more like herself the second, she opened her eyes, seeing the wooden ceiling of the room she laid in. A young girl, about the same age as her blinked twice in surprise as she looked down, before regaining her composure and giving a warm smile.

Korra propped herself up on her elbows, immediately swaying as her head began to pound horribly. She screwed her eyes shut and put a hand to her forehead. "Ow, my head..."

The girl started, placing a careful palm on Korra's shoulder to stop her from injuring herself. "Hold up, take it easy."

She nodded, opening her eyes and recognising the girl immediately. "Hana?"

"Here, hold this to your forehead. Still got some swelling there." Korra moved gingerly, taking the wet sponge square and holding it up to her forehead, hissing a little as she pressed it against her bruised and battered skin.

"Oh, uh. Thanks." The room was dimly lit, with a slow burning candle on tables at each corner. A thought made her glance sideways at Hana, as she held her hands over a nearby bowl of clear water, slowly coaxing a stream out of its still surface. Her eyes wandered over the room, unable to miss the familiar white lotus tile plastered on every piece of furniture, even on the bowl Hana was hunched over and the two guards on either side of the door on the other end of the room. "We're at the White Lotus compound!?" She realized with a start, her thoughts now racing as her memory started coming back to her. One of the guards rolled his golden eyes, the movement nearly hidden under the helmet concealing most of his features.

A image of her parents running towards her came up and she twisted in the bed, ignoring the line of pain going up her side as she looked at Hana. "My parents, are they-"

"Its okay, Korra." Hana smiled again as she brought the bowl over, sitting on the edge of the bed and balancing it on her lap. "They're in the Grand Lotus's office. I can go get them-"

"No." She still wasn't done yet. "Well, what about Bolin - Asami?" The girl was about to answer when they both heard the familiar yelp of a earthbender and Asami's chuckling. A little smile settled on Korra as she felt relief that they were alright. "Good enough answer." Still, even knowing that they were alright, she grimly realized that someone was missing.

"They're resting in the next room." Hana answered with a hint of amusement, now curling the stream of water into a globule. Korra noticed that the edges of her lips dipped with concern as she looked at the water. "Although we haven't found a trace of Tai."

It was all coming back to her now, although she really wished it hadn't. "I need to get back out there and look for him."

"Whoa, whoa, you can't do that!" The golden-eyed guard walked across the room, clearly worried with the determined look on her. "I can't let you just waltz out of here, you need rest!"

Korra rolled her eyes while shifting her shoulders. He was always so concerned with safety. "Yeah, nice to see you again, _Howl._"

"Korra..." Howl's shoulders slumped as he looked at his feet. He sighed and looked back up."You know how this works, alright?"

She crossed her arms and looked sideways at him. "Whatever." Korra was silent for a few seconds, before a small smirk settled on her. "That's never stopped me before."

Another sigh came from him as there was a knock on the door to the room. Howl went over and opened it. Korra cursed him for being so tall as she couldn't tell who he was talking to. A few seconds later he nodded once and closed the door, suppressing another sigh and shaking his head. "The Grand Lotus...would like some words with you."

Hana looked at the two of them, getting up from the bed with the bowl of water in her hands. "I should probably tend to the others." Howl nodded at her before moving past her towards the side of the bed. Hana looked down at Korra, putting down the bowl of water for a second to clasp her hands together and bow briefly, picking it up with a smirk. "It was nice to treat you, Korra."

"Geez, you've been talking with Bolin haven't you?" Korra smiled and inclined her head, clasping hers together as well. "Thank you."

The young water tribe girl chuckled as she left the room through a sliding door, heading in the direction of Bolin's yelps.

As the door closed a few seconds later, Howl folded his arms and shook his head. "You really are a handful."

Korra answered with a short noncommittal grunt, gritting her teeth as she shuffled towards the edge of the bed, mindful of the sharp pains in her sides. Placing her feet on the floor, she took a deep breath and attempted to lift herself up. She was swaying something fierce, but she was on her own too feet. Breathing a sigh of relief, she ignored the worried look on Howl as she took a confident step forward, only to stumble forwards with a yelp towards a nearby chest of drawers.

Before she connected, Howl looped his arms under her shoulders, grunting a little as he supported her. "Gotcha." He said through his teeth, keeping a tight grip on her in case she decided to fall again.

He helped her towards the door at the other end of the room, nudging it open with the edge of his foot. They walked out into the hallway, unpainted wooden panels making up the walls and the floors, with the White Lotus symbol stamped on at regular intervals or displayed on circular fur-lined shields from the Water Tribes, square and thick wall shields from the Earth Kingdom, and sharp and angular metal bucklers from the Fire Nation.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Korra remembered a history lesson about how they represented the White Lotus as a order from all walks of life charged with protecting the balance of the world.

She looked up at Howl, then averted her eyes and watched the floor slowly move past as he helped her towards the corner of the hallway. "Sorry for being a jerk." She mumbled, getting a smirk from him.

"Oh really? Thanks, your _jerkness_."

They turned into the next hallway, halfway down its length sat a impressive looking circular door, one half white and the other black set in a circular doorframe painted bone white. She also noticed a brown-haired woman wearing orange clothes leaning against the wall by the doorframe, her arms folded and her fingers drumming on them with her head tipped back against the wall.

Korra noticed how vividly _bright_ her grey eyes were. The woman noticed the two of them and smiled graciously in greeting as they came closer. She winced at the raised voices coming from within, hearing the brusque tones of the Grand Lotus occasionally. "Ataneq's butting heads with Katara again." She sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment before blinking twice, as if realizing that Korra was standing there. "Uh, sorry, Avatar. I don't think we've met." She dipped her head in greeting. "Talisa."

"Oh, call me Korra. Hey, your clothes... are you are a Air Disciple?" Korra blurted out, not realizing she may have caused great offense to the woman. She noticed Howl rolling his eyes. She was genuinely curious, especially about the glider staff on the woman's back.

The women chuckled airily, doing a good job at making Korra feel like a idiot in the process. "Very close, actually. I studied airbending under Tenzin when I was younger."

"You can airbend?" She echoed, wondering exactly how many airbenders there were in the world. Maybe as the Avatar she could find them someday.

Talisa nodded. "Yep. As a matter of fact, Tenzin contacted me about teaching you airbending basics. Of course you kind of left the compound and jumped ship to Republic City." She smirked playfully. "You've got guts."

"Heh, thanks." Korra began to like this woman.

Howls drawn-out sigh drew their attention. "Fantastic." He muttered just as the voices in the office got louder. He glanced over at them with a grimace. "We should probably get in there."

"Ataneq hasn't changed a bit." Korra muttered to herself. She looked up and smiled at Talisa. "It was nice meeting you."

Talisa nodded. "Heard you've got a lost friend out there in the snow, hope you find him." Her voice grew serious for a moment as she looked at the floor. And then it changed back just as quickly as she looked up, smiling. "See you around."

Korra nodded wordlessly, reminded of what she needed to do. They moved past her and towards the Grand Lotus's door.

"As a journeyman of the order, I'm not saying anything." He replied, just as they stopped in front of the door. She took a deep breath as she looked at the door, remembering all the times she'd been shouted at or told off inside the room within.

Trying her luck she glanced at Howl. "I think I can stand by myself now." Despite the worried look on him and the sigh escaping from his lips, he nodded and gave her some space. She swayed a little, but luckily it wasn't at a level that could affect her.

"You sure...?"

Korra smirked and patted his shoulder. "Yeah."

"Alright." He cracked a unsure smile as he moved forward, placing his palm on the grey round stone at the center of the door. With a little push it retreated a little into the door, the two halves slid away from each other into the walls and disappeared from sight.

Inside the stark white room was a contested warzone that made Korra feel small in comparison. She steeled herself as the chorus of voices assaulted her ears, focusing on what she needed to do and nothing else.

"She's staying right here!" A gruff and uncompromising voice thundered, coming from a stout barrel-chested older man, his head bare except for a ring of hair just above the ears with a bushy beard taking up most of his weathered wide face. Both of his hands were bunched into fists as he leaned over the dark mahogany desk, glowering at the three others in the room.

"It isn't up to you, Ataneq-" Korra easily recognised her sifu's voice, although a little intimidated by her harsh tones, used to hearing her as kind and soothing.

"And it wasn't UP TO YOU to let her LEAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" He bellowed in return, slamming a fist down on the table with a livid face.

She glanced at Howl with a unsure smile, lifting her hand towards the open doorway. He gulped and nodded, shaking his head before walking in first, moving in and waiting at the side of the door, standing at attention immediately.

Korra chuckled nervously as she moved into the room under Ataneq's harsh gaze. "Long time no see, um, oh-" She winced as she clasped her hands together and bowed, feeling the bruises on her sides flare up. "I mean-" She cleared her throat and straightened, looking the Grand Lotus right in the eye while fighting a urge to look away. "Greetings, Grand Lotus Ataneq."

Ataneq said nothing for a few moments, and Korra feared that she had just created a huge mess of things. Eventually he grunted and bowed, clasping his hands together as well. "Avatar Korra."

"Its good to see you up and about, Korra." Katara smiled kindly at her.

Without fail, Katara's presence always made her feel safe. Korra grinned, glad to see her. "Thank you, Sifu."

"Well, with greetings out of the way can we get on to business?" The Grand Lotus's folded his arms together, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Wait...what business?"

Korra felt confused, especially once she noticed the harsh look appearing on Katara's wizened features. "We were just discussing..." The old woman sighed and glanced at her for a moment, before continuing on. "Whether to keep you here, in the compound, for your own protection."

She couldn't believe her ears. They wanted to keep her here for good in other words. No Republic City, no Airbending training, no - no being the _Avatar_. "I, you - no way, not now!"

"This isn't up for debate, Avatar." Ataneq gruffly replied. "These reports about the 'Grey Man' and your encounters with him, none of them ended in your favor. The White Lotus will protect you from him, and the world if need be, it is our duty-"

Something in her just broke. "Your DUTY?! You kept me cooped up for years on end, training constantly! You kept me from my parents, you - you locked me up!" Doing her duty as the Avatar was the sole reason she ran away from the compound in the first place, the world needed her out there, not _being babied _by the White Lotus. "Look, I can't get into this now- I've got a friend to find!"

"Korra, you still need rest-" Katara cautioned.

"No! I'm sorry, Sifu, but this can't wait. He's out there alone and he needs my help!" Korra raised her voice unknowingly, wishing that she would understand. Seeing the glare surfacing on Ataneq she directed her attention towards him. "You can't stop me from going back out there. Don't come after me."

"Avatar, I won't let you do this! You have obligations-" She ignored him, her hands bunched into fists as she whirled around and stormed out of the room, moving past Howl and getting a little _sick_ of the constant worry on his face.

Breathing heavily she slammed a fist into the door button, marching out of the office and back into the hallway. Insides seething with pent up rage the doors rolled back into place behind her back with a thud. Releasing a frustrated sigh she stomped down the hallway, ignoring the curious look on Talisa.

She stopped in her tracks. "You gonna try and stop me?"

Talisa's hand landed gently on her shoulder, surprising Korra. "No. What you're doing is _brave_. Your friend-" She bit her lip for a moment, some unpleasant memories and regrets threatening to well up before she suppressed them and leveled a frank gaze at Korra. "He's lucky to have you."

Korra didn't say anything, instead she nodded and kept going.

* * *

Naga barked, happy to see Korra as she walked into the cover of the stable, grabbing a lantern off a hook on a nearby support beam and bringing it over, sitting it on the back part of the saddle as she rummaged through the bags hanging over Naga's side.

At first she simply moved and shifted the various clothes and item inside the sealskin rucksack, then steadily picked up speed as she grew frustrated, throwing items onto the cold hard ground and kicking them away, almost emptying the entire thing until she finally had her jacket in hand.

She also pulled out a long length of thick bright orange fabric, vaguely remembering it as the waist scarf she picked for him. She nodded, elated that she could give this to Naga to track his scent.

The Polar-Bear Dog barked in alarm as her head went dizzy and she began to sway, managing to brace herself by placing a palm on Naga's side to stop from falling. A wave of nausea ran over her for a moment, and she felt a familiar burning sensation surface on her shoulder. She noticed the look in Naga's eyes. "I'm okay, girl."

Her breath came out in hot wispy clouds as she put her jacket on, welcoming the warmth it gave as she pulled the zipper up.

She spotted a few loose straps near Naga's belly and squatted, grabbing a few of them and pulling just as she heard the sound of footsteps crunching through snow. Korra straightened, seeing the slightly worried expression on her mother gave herself a few anxious knots as well. "Mom.."

Senna responded with a unsure smile. "Are you sure about this honey?"

Without hesitation she nodded, willing to go to any length to protect him or any of her friends. "I won't be long."

Korra peered over her mother's shoulder, seeing her father walking down the path supporting Bolin every so often. The two of them came to a stop in front of her, and Bolin cracked a grin. "He said he wanted to come with you." Tonraq explained.

"But-" She started, already thinking this wasn't such a good idea.

"I know, I know. I'm too injured, its too dangerous so I have to go alone because I'm the Avatar I can handle it. But Korra? There is no way I am letting you go off and be reckless if I can't be reckless as well!" Bolin grinned again as she shook her head. "And to be fair, you have saved my butt several times. Time for me to save yours too-" He reddened and glanced quickly at Tonraq and Senna, quickly putting some distance from him. "Um, that, didn't really-"

They shared a glance and smirked.

Korra rolled her eyes and clamped a hand on Bolin's shoulder, mainly to stop him from embarrassing himself. "Hop on." She commanded, moving past him and towards her parents.

She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around the two of them. "I'll be extra careful." she whispered.

Stepping back and giving them a shaky smile, she turned and hopped onto Naga's back, swinging her leg over the saddle and getting into place. She glanced at Bolin, his thumbs up looking a little goofy with his hands covered up by the thick gloves.

Naga barked as she looked towards the front, taking a deep breath to steady herself as she gave Naga a gentle kick on the side. She began to move forward, going up the ramp and out into the open air of the compound. Korra guided her over to the massive gates ahead, the symbol of White Lotus engraved in the twin slabs of ice.

The Polar-Bear Dog skidded to a halt in front of them as Korra pulled back on the reins. She looked up at the towers hugging either side of the massive gate, not seeing anyone up there. Grunting with frustration she dropped Naga's reins and held her out palms out, closing her eyes for a moment and exhaling, just as she felt the golden hue welling up again.

Ice shuddered as the twin slabs moved outwards, revealing a dark and icy landscape stretching for miles in any direction. She flipped her hood up and glanced back at Bolin, who nodded and flipped his up as well.

Korra gave Naga a short kick in the side and she barked, breaking into a bounding sprint out of the compound and into the dark landscape. Soon she noticed a pair of headlights approaching and wrenched at the reins, guiding Naga around the Satomobile instead of through it.

She recognized one of the occupants. "Mako." she whispered.

* * *

_Dark Glacier, South Pole_.

Tai exhaled.

Focusing on small steps he slowly took in small amounts of air, trying not to push himself too far and threaten the delicate state he was in right now.

A small itching sensation somewhere just below his right shoulder interrupted his focus for a small moment, before disappearing quickly. He dismissed it and pushed himself to open his eyes.

Slowly he did, finding it almost a challenge just doing so that drained what energy he had left.

As his eyes came into focus, they were greeted with a white blurry expanse and nothing else.

His mind sluggishly worked towards identifying where he was when a jolt of memory shot through him like lightning. With newfound energy coming from this he shook his head and lifted it out of the snow, breathing heavily as a cold wind tickled his ears.

He looked around, seeing nothing but walls of ice yawning upwards, reaching into a grey fog that enveloped them completely. The boy grimaced as he spotted a dark cave opening surrounded by tumble rocks and cracked boulders directly in front of him, the extent of it he didn't know.

Tai's heart leaped into his throat when his vision cleared up, and his eyes glued themselves to the top half of a human skull poking out of the snow near the entrance.

That wasn't a good sign.

Something growled and he froze, eyes scanning the mouth of the cave as he willed them to adjust to the ambient light inside. At first, nothing inside the cave seemed to move, and it gave him a premature sense of relief. Screeching and rumbling noises reverberated through his head, making him turn around and freeze in shock.

Creatures were the only way he could describe them. At least five of them and varying wildly in shape and size. They were all made of shadow, and all had burning slits in place of eyes.

Carefully he reached a hand towards his sword's handle, slowly wrapping his fingers around it and getting a firm grip as some of them screeched and advanced a few steps, some on four legs and others on two.

The sword dragged on his arm as he stared at the unearthly shapes, feeling a burning sensation below his shoulder where it was itching before. They looked solid enough to be real, and real could be killed.

His muscles burned just holding his sword and his vision swam.

A howling bellow tore through the grey fog and he swore under his breath when he noticed it wasn't coming from any of the things currently in view. Another one, shaped like a wolf with a burning line of sickly yellow lining its spine jumped out of the fog onto one of the rocks above the cave's opening. It bellowed and revealed a maw of purple flesh and rows and rows of teeth.

"You've got to be kidding me." The boy muttered, his vision swimming furiously and muscles burning intensely. He couldn't even take on a turtle-duck right now, let alone whatever this things were.

Keeping his sword straight as possible and squaring his shoulders to give off the appearance that he wasn't about to collapse, the boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, just as the Wolf-Shape bellowed and broke into a sprint, it's movements jerky and confusing.

Opening them, he swept his palm up at the black wolf as it lunged through the air towards him, teeth bared and jaws snapping. He pushed and the air in-between him and its mouth rippled in response. The wolf-shape yelped as a spiral of wind slammed into its exposed belly, throwing it back into the snow nearby.

The swimming in his vision worsened but he ignored it, focusing on staying alert and ready for its friends. They hissed and screeched and rumbled, with the biggest among them lowering its head and pawing the ground with mismatched feet belonging to a elephant rather than the bear it resembled.

It charged with a reverberating roar, hammering icy spikes into Tai's thoughts and stunning him to a point where he couldn't-

Another howl tore through the air, and just before they were about to slam into Tai and knock him off his feet Kaze appeared, the spiral markings on his side showing brilliantly as he barked and sunk his teeth into the big one's flank, steam lifting from the puncture black flesh.

"Kaze?" Tai whispered in shock, watching as the spirit-wolf hopped back in front of him, shielding him from the raging beast as it howled and roared and rumbled.

The Wolf-Shaped one leapt out of the fog towards them, it mouth open with the same purple flesh and sharp teeth. The spirit wolf growled a small challenge, not even moving as the feral entity got closer and closer, its body casting a large shadow over him as it snapped and screeched.

Kaze rolled over and tucked his legs in to present a smaller target to the oncoming threat. At the last moment, Kaze's legs kicked upwards all at once into the thing's exposed belly. It yelped in alarm once as it was sent flying back, sliding through the snow and coming to a stop near the others as they kept well-back.

The entire collection of dark shapes went still as their burning slits stared into him, before the blizzard picked up and they disappeared from sight.

His head pounding and arm burning, Tai's legs gave way and he collapsed into the snow with a grunt, prompting Kaze to turn around with a curious yelp and come to his side, pushing his head underneath Tai's armpit to support him.

"Heh. Thanks buddy." He whispered, feeling tired beyond belief and shaken by the appearance of those thngs. Those things were definitely going to come back. He didn't want to be around when that happened.

He looked up at the massive glacier nearby, silent and unmoving. And grimaced as he focused on the small dark opening going inside its depths. "Shelter's shelter." He murmured, not entirely convinced that going in there was a good idea, but what choice did he have?

Tai took a deep shuddering breath as Kaze shifted and moved, lying down and crawling forwards on his belly underneath the boy's back. "Kaze, what-" He grunted as Kaze straightened, standing up on all fours now and balancing him on his back. The Spirit-Wolf turned his head and looked at him with big brown eyes, tongue wagging. Tai gave him a tired grin and patted him on the head, before pointing towards the dark cave opening ahead, choked with twisting tendrils of dark dead roots.

Once Kaze started moving, padding along a narrow and thin bridge of ice, Tai finally allowed his eyes to close as the cold began to envelop him.

* * *

_The cold clutching his icy muscles faded, replaced with a sense of emptiness._

_The child opened his eyes, rubbing at them as he looked around himself, lost in the dark just like before._

_This darkness felt different, though, foreboding, empty, and dead. Blank._

_His eyes widened, watering a little at the sight of the man's body a short distance away. But his skin was pale, and eyes dull. The child moved forwards, focusing on him and not the darkness._

_As soon as he reached a hand to touch him, to know that he was alright, a grotesque chitinous claw dropped from the darkness above, wrapping around his father and pulling him up into the air._

_His body dangled, dangerously close to lifelessness._

_The child fell backwards, scrabbling on his hands and feet as a bone white face, its lips bloody and crimson, materialized out of the dark. The lips parted to reveal a horrible mockery of a smile. _

* * *

_Dark Cave, South Pole._

Kaze's frenzied yelps roused him from a shaky sleep. He lifted his head, seeing nothing but glossy rock walls slick with moisture, choked with tree roots twisting across their surfaces, snaking away into the darkness for spirits knew how far.

He sat up immediately, holding a hand to his forehead and regretting it as a wave of dizziness swam over him. He looked over at Kaze, seeing that the spirit wolf had his heckles raised and teeth bared at something in the darkness of the cave. "What-"

Tai cut himself off as he noticed four burning slits of golden hue floating in the darkness, staring straight at him. "No- no no no-" Tai repeated over and over, thoughts twisting and mind clouding over as he felt the old terror return.

He heard whispers in his thoughts, dark and unknowable. The four burning points drifted closer and closer, and Tai's blood ran cold at the mass of oily black arranged in a very vague facsimile of a humanoid.

Whatever it was lumbered into full view.

The main 'body' was roughly shaped like a human torso, but devoid of any kind of details and had no definition to it, being just a smooth surface of greyish black skin. At the end of its thin twig-like arms were vague hands, although instead of five fingers there were three incredibly sharp looking claws in their place, the exact same color as the rest of the spirit's torso.

Like its arms the spirit's legs were also thin, once again ending at 'feet' with three claws.

Its eyes burned with spiritual energy, golden and the only source of color seen on the wide black oval making up the spirit's head.

The spirit tilted its head at him, twitching like a owl would before moving closer.

His vision went black as his shoulder _burned_.

* * *

土


	18. The Darkest Spirit, the Facestealer

土

* * *

"See anything!?" She shouted over the noise of the wind, scanning the surrounding expanse of snow for any one wearing a longcoat. She grunted as her face slammed into the lip of the saddle, and swore as she rubbed her mouth.

"Nuh uh. Just more snow." Bolin paused. "You okay?"

She nodded, moving her jaw experimentally. "Yeah."

Naga barked as the ground beneath her steadily sloped upwards, compensating by shortening her bounds to provide more balance.

"So where do you think he could be?" Bolin asked, hopeful that she would know.

As Naga continued up the steadily rising slope, kicking up great puffs of snow in her wake, Korra pursed her lips, thinking for a few moments. "There aren't that many places around here covered enough for shelter, and the ones that _are_ would already be home to a polar-bear dog, or even to a pack of direwolves." She fell silent, knowing the chances of them finding Tai if he ran into even one of them out here. She shook her head, very much trying to focus on something more positive.

She hit on something, remembering a unpleasant event in her childhood. Still, she had to tell him. "When I was little, there was this one time that I ran away from the compound." She stopped to check if Bolin was about to say anything. But he was silent. "I headed north, got caught in a blizzard around these parts. I was confused and had been wandering in the snow for what felt like _days_. Suddenly it cleared up and there was a glacier nearby with a cave entrance at the bottom."

"Back up a minute, you were-"

"That cave should be nearby. He may have gone in there." She fell silent, struggling with the sensation of being scared, tired and alone inside that cave for a few hours. She hoped he wasn't experiencing the same thing. She glanced back at Bolin. "Let's go." She said with a quiet voice.

His eyes full of concern, he nodded. "Okay."

Korra flashed a weak smile back at him, before tightening her hold on Naga's reigns as the Polar-Bear Dog reached the crest of the snow dune. They both had their eyes glued to the hauntingly beautiful sight before them.

The wind howling around them increased in intensity, sending a shiver down Korra's spine and leaving a sense of unease in her thoughts. "That thing is _huge_, how are we gonna get down-" Out of nowhere a screeching cry sliced through the night towards them. Bolin yelped in surprise as Korra's jaw tightened when she focused her gaze at the lip of the cliffs surrounding the glacier.

Naga took a step forward, opened her mouth and roared a challenge in reply. "Naga, what's gotten into you-" Bolin went to say when his gaze followed Korra's. A spindly collection of thin claws scrabbled sunk into the snow at the cliff edge, inky black in coloring. They heard another screech float up to them as Naga barked and bounded forward without Korra's urging, teeth bared.

A bulbous head with burning slits for eyes rose up as the creature pulled itself over. The creature straightened to its full height. It hadn't moved a muscle but Korra saw that the eddies and swirls on its pitch black skin constantly moved and fought each other.

"What is that?" Korra felt chills just looking at it-

_A Spirit. But not one I've seen before. Be careful, Korra._ To her surprise it wasn't Aang or Kyoshi's voice that sounded in her thoughts, but another one altogether. Just by their tone alone, she could tell that they were calm and despite the young tone of the woman's voice, wise beyond belief. She had no idea which of her predecessors it was.

They reached the bottom of the snow dune, now only a short distance away from the cliff edge and the strange spirit standing vigil. Her breath caught when she saw the spines on its broad shoulders, the same burning slits of gold, the same claws that sliced her shoulder.

Without warning it leaped backwards, disappearing over the cliff's edge as more spirits appeared in the gloom. The closest of them, shaped as a wolf, immediately charged at them, maw open to reveal row upon row of jagged yellow teeth set in purple flesh. It unleashed a keening wail as it leaped at Naga, who responded by shaking Korra and Bolin free of the saddle and dropping them to the ground, before swiping at the spirit when it got close.

Korra spat mouthfuls of snow out, rising as quickly as she could to help Naga when she spotted Bolin a short distance away, backwheeling and just barely dodging the massive and powerful arms of another spirit, roaring in frustration as it kept missing.

She got to her feet before something rushed into her side, slamming her back down and putting stars in her vision. Jaws snapped only inches from her face as she looked into the burning slits of the wolf-spirit. Her wound hissed and bubbled when its paws scraped the skin on her arm, getting a pained gasp as she tried to get her hands under it and push it off of her.

But despite its size it was monumentally heavy and strong, and she could only struggle as the jaws came closer and closer-

Korra managed to stomp her foot, quickly spreading her legs as a patch of earth sprouted out of the cracking ice and punched upwards, sending the spirit flying and getting her out of danger. She quickly got to her feet, sweating as she remembered Bolin.

The pain in her shoulder only grew as her arm moved freely, forcing her to reach across and keep it still as she ran towards Bolin, the large-spirits back turned to her as it lumbered and rumbled and roared.

She lit a ball of flame in her good hand, moving closer and closer to get the jump on it when the voice from before invaded her head.

_Korra. Use your waterbending to contain it. Fire will only madden it and put your friend in danger._

"Wh- what?" Korra murmured. "I can't- Bolin's going to get hurt I if don't-"

_Trust me, Korra. _

The Avatar loosed a annoyed grunt and extinguished the flame, hoping the unknown voice was right. She brought her fingers to her lips and whistled, the noise piercing through the icy winds and Bolin's yelps. The large spirit stopped in its tracks and turned with a growl at the disturbance, staring straight at her and roaring a challenge.

As she approached it with caution, something seemed to be happening to the creature as it stilled and the roar died off. Speech deserted her as before her eyes the darkness smothering it began to recede and shift, breaking as patches of pale white skin showed through. "What..."

When she took another step the patches of white grew larger and larger, and the spirit went off-balance, shaking its head as its bellows became softer in nature.

Darkness still showed on the spirit as Korra came to a stop, raising her hands and taking a deep breath before forming a stream of icy water out of the air. She whipped her hands from side to side, looping the stream around the creature and watching in struck awe as the darkness began to fade and dull.

Something whispered in her thoughts, breaking her concentration and drowning out the voices of her predecessors. The spirit loosed a pained roar as the darkness covering it roiled and bubbled, quickly covering it completely again and smothering out the white skin underneath. It screeched and wheeled away from Korra, disappearing into the night.

Breathing heavily and collecting her thoughts she ran forwards, pulling Bolin to his feet and patting him down. "Are you hurt?"

Bolin managed a weak grin, his skin pale and eyes wide. "Just a little spooked."

They heard a angry roar and Korra turned to see the wolf-spirit speeding away into the dark, leaving Naga panting heavily as she lumbered towards Korra and Bolin with a slight limp. The polar-bear dog wrinkled her lips and barked at the darkness around them.

Korra's thoughts turned back to Tai as she stared at the glacier. "He's gotta be in there. We have to go in."

Bolin nodded as he stared at the gigantic monolith of faintly glowing ice. "Ice isn't supposed to glow like that, right?"

"No…. I haven't seen anything like it." Just looking at it put chills down her spine. She clenched her fingers in response. She looked down at Naga, rubbing the side of her snout to calm her. "Its alright, girl. We won't be here for long."

Korra shared Naga's sentiments. This place just had a bad vibe to it.

Knocking her feet against Naga's sides she took a deep breath, steeling herself in preparation.

* * *

Naga growled, lips lifting a little showing the edges of her fangs as the Polar-Bear Dog came to a halt in front of the dark opening of the cave. Feeling a knock on her side from Korra's foot she lowered herself towards the ground, laying still as her two passengers slid down her side and stood nearby.

The Polar-Bear Dog's growls intensified as she padded over to one of the walls of the cave entrance, craning her head to examine the strange black growths on its surface. She recoiled and barked, hopping backwards with a start. Korra ran over to her as soon as she could to examine the black scratches on her shoulder. "Stop moving around, girl! Lie down." Naga grumbled and looked at her, before nuzzling her hand and sitting down.

"I know you don't like it when I do this, but you need to stay here girl. Okay?" Naga whined and tried to rise before Korra rubbed her snout, touching her forehead against the polar-bear dogs wet black nose. She laid back down with a short bark. "Thank you, girl. I'll come back this time." Korra promised.

"Ew..." Bolin moved closer, flicking one of the tree roots as a experiment. Even in the brief time his fingertip brushed against the shiny black substance, some of it stuck to his skin. He yelped and snatched his hand back, with the black goop refusing to let go as it stretched out between him and the root. It finally gave way once he reached the middle of the space, looking with bewilderment and undisguised disgust at the black residue left behind.

His collar shook and rumbled as Pabu poked his head out, sniffing at the air and shrieking in response. Still he maneuvered his way out of his partner's collar and onto his shoulder, scuttering down his arm. He stretched, curious as he sniffed the substance. "Pabu, no!"

Bolin picked him up, quickly stuffing the ferret back into his collar. Pabu chattered angrily at the treatment for a few moments before going quiet. He glanced at Korra, noticing her tense stance and whitened knuckles. "Spooky place, huh?" He grinned, aiming to reassure her and defuse a little of the tension going around.

Still seeing that she still stared at the entrance to the cave with incredibly intensity, his shoulders slumped and he frowned. He caught the beginnings of a wry smirk on her, and he felt glad that he at least semi-succeeded.

"Yeah." Pushing her fear and worry to the back of her thoughts, she slowly advanced into the cave. Her footsteps echoed off the walls, so loud that she found it a little hard to concentrate. A second pair of footsteps joined hers, adding a second layer of echoes. Keeping one eye on the veins of softly glowing ice occasionally showing on through he tunnel ran straight for a few more minutes by her count, seemingly just wearing on and on for what soon felt like eternity. She heard a barely contained grunt from behind her, obviously Bolin was getting a little annoyed by the tunnel as well.

That ended when she stopped, placing a palm on Bolin's chest to stop him as well. She swore something had moved just ahead. It could have been a trick on her eyes because of the extremely low level of light available in the cave. But she could have sworn she spotted a floating pair of orange lights, hovering ahead of them for a few seconds before disappearing or moving out of sight.

"Those things are in here as well?" Bolin whispered behind her.

She forced herself to ignore Bolin, hoping that he was wrong as she stopped, feeling two distinct breezes on either side of her. Must be a fork just ahead. "I think they were spirits."

"Like the ones in the old stories? They're real?"

"Yeah. But they aren't supposed to look like that." she muttered as she continued surveying one of the forking tunnels.

Frustration filled her when she saw nothing but the same black gloom, the meagre lighting offered by the cracks of glowing ice ended as it disappeared, probably as it ran under a wall. She hated it when she couldn't see anything. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she extended both arms and stretched out both hands. A shot of warmth flowed down each arm and pooled in her palms, converting energy to heat and collecting into a small ball of fire sitting just above each palm.

She furrowed her brow in concentration, compacting the balls of flame to make sure the light they cast on the glossy black walls wouldn't be disturbed by the flicker of the flames.

"I was wondering when you were gonna flame it up." Bolin said in a hushed whisper, barely audible to her.

Korra nodded. "Don't suppose you wanna split up?" She said, trying her hand at a joke to try and stave off the pervasive claustrophobic feeling being in this strange dark place.

Immediately she heard a hiss in response. "No way! This is just like that movie we saw at the Golden Dragon! The ruggedly handsome dude and the gorgeous girl got eaten right after splitting up!"

She stifled a laugh at how hysterical his whispers became. "Okay. How about the right one?"

"Sure. Just saying, I'm sticking close as I can." She glanced back at him as she turned towards the right tunnel, squaring her shoulders before moving into it. She felt a flutter of anxiety when the light from her flames struck the cave walls, showing that they were getting narrower and narrower the further in she went. Instead of letting the anxiety grow she quelled it, trying to think of good places rather than the dark and dank space they were currently inside.

Behind her Pabu squeaked in alarm before Bolin calmed him. "It's okay, buddy." he stroked the fire ferret's head as he to glanced fearfully at the walls, which he thought did too well at their job at reminding him of those terrifying sewers he fell into as a kid. "Getting to be a tight squeeze- urk!" He grunted as his shoulder slammed into something jutting out from the wall. He ducked under it and continued on, following her down the forever constricting tunnel.

Their worlds continued to change to a smaller and much more confining form, amplifying the noise of their breathing so that it bounced around the walls with as a distorted and ragged noise, more like the cries or howls of a forgotten creature then the simple process of drawing more air into their lungs. The only constant, the only _light_, that filled their shrinking world, was also the only comfort in the narrow confines of the tunnel.

Not even thoughts about Republic City, or thoughts about their friends waiting for them to come back from the cold could comfort them. To Korra, this only served to strike home the dark thoughts in her mind. What _would_ be waiting for her back outside? Just a distant firebender who works too hard to protect her, a group of 'protectors' wanting to shut her away from the world - _again_ - just to keep her safe.

Those dark thoughts didn't even budge as the walls on either side widened out, slowly and gradually veering away from them in opposite directions, one making up the outer edge of a cavern, and the other stretching away and doing the same on the opposite side. The large and dark space was altogether brighter than the tiny passage they just came from, with a massive vein of glowing blue ice poking through the rock of the ceiling, hanging just above a small and calm pool of water, that strangely didn't reflect or absorb any of the light cast from the crystalline monolith hanging above it. She heard the scraping of rock somewhere, instantly putting her on alert before she realized that it was just some part of the glacier shifting against the outside of the rock formation.

The light from her firebending only went so far, and didn't do any justice at showing how large the cavern really was. A hand tapped her shoulder, threatening to take her away from her darkest thoughts and fears. "Korra, you've gone pale?"

Shaking her head as to rid the thoughts like a bad dream she glanced at him, blinking twice as a cold feeling in her gut slowly subsided. "Huh - what?" The boy jerked his chin down, indicating her hands. She extinguished the flames and stared at them, noticing that they were pale, just like he said.

She wondered why, wondering how-

A rock under her foot shifted and groaned, before it and the ones around it broke apart and shattered. Her eyes widened as she flailed her arms, trying to get a grip on anything in reach. Bolin jumped, lunging towards her with his arm extended when something shifted in the darkness behind him, her spine crawled with a horrible sensation as a black and oily tendril wrapped around his extended arm, pulling the boy away with a yelp.

"Bolin!" She shouted in desperation, just before she slammed into the rock hard cave floor at the bottom of the height. A gut wrenching scream tore its way out of her throat as stars exploded and blood coated her mouth before everything went black.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Korra's body shuddered as she tried to rise, only getting a few inches of air before her arms gave out underneath her and fall back to the ground. She could taste something foul in her mouth, the vile texture on her tongue making her eyes open with a start. She blinked and fought a overwhelming urge to close them, focusing on regulating her breathing. Something simple to do.

She had no clue how much time had past, could have been days or hours or just seconds to her battered senses, before she felt the fuzzy feeling in her head and ringing in her ears subside.

Uttering a hoarse groan she carefully shifted onto her side, keeping a hand on her head to stop the pounding in her skull as she rested on her elbow. She coughed a few times as she scanned the dark gloom around her, finding it strange that the soft blue light from the blue ice above didn't reach down here.

Suppressing a hiss as one of her ribs started to throb, she glanced at her hand, feeling all of the stings and aches from the many scratches and bruises all over it. Opening her hand, she focused on nothing else but the warm flow of energy within her. She felt a shudder down the length of her arm, making her muscles tremble before dying away and being replaced with a warm tingling sensation as chi flowed down her arm.

Concentrating on the surface of her palm and making a effort to ignore the cuts and scratches present, she took a deep breath, shuddering a little as spikes of pain all across her upper chest and shoulders flared up in response. She ignored the pain and narrowed her eyes, willing a flame, or some sparks, or even just a _sputter of heat_ to appear.

The furthest she got was a handful of sparks whizzing and snapping in the air, dying just as quickly as they appeared.

Taking a deep breath she swallowed past a dry lump in her throat and relaxed her hand, choosing to focus on what she could do at the moment than what she could not. The dark completely smothered any direction she looked in, only brightening in the central part of the cavern where a pool of water resided. A shiver went down her spine when her eyes settled on a dark vaguely human shape, hunched in front of the pool. It was then that she spotted a sliver of metal on the ground near it, silvery and the only source of reflection the dim light from the vein of ice above could find.

Her legs wobbled as she stood up, her eyes glued to the dark and still shape in front of the water. Slowly she shuffled forwards, taking small steps that wouldn't tax her recovering muscles too much. As she approached the center of the chamber she registered a burning sensation on her shoulder, mounting and mounting in intensity as she crossed the distance between her and the shape.

Mercifully the pain in her shoulder ceased completely as she came to a halt, with the dark shape now unmistakably human. She blinked, confused that the wound on her shoulder just stopped burning instantly. Shaking her head she watched as the shape stirred. "You came."

"Tai! You're okay?" She whispered, not having enough strength to talk at a louder volume. Relief flowed through her now that she had found him. A small part of her mind didn't a part of it however, concerned with how toneless and flat he sounded and the fact that Bolin had just been snatched away into the darkness by _something_.

She glanced around herself at the dark space, trying to listen for any movement or spot any burning slits of light. Finding nothing, she limped closer towards the kneeling boy. "Listen, we've got to get out of here and find Bolin, there's something in-" Her breath caught in her throat as four burning slits of fire appeared in the darkness on the other side of the pool, forming into a humanoid body. A long and spindly tail came into view out of the darkness, hovering over the pool of dark liquid with a unconscious Bolin wrapped in its grasp.

The boy stared at her, a blank look in his eyes as he tilted his head then nodded, as if agreeing with a invisible voice.

Korra watched in unrestrained terror as a second tail grew out from the spirit's first, wrapping around Tai and pulling him into the air next to Bolin. The four burning slits on its wide head flashed a cold blue, changing back to a burning gold immediately before lowering its to captives onto the ground near the pool, unwrapping its tails from around the two of them before staring at her with a chilling stillness, before stepping onto the surface of the pool and sinking into it, soon disappearing from sight.

The girl shivered as a cold and unfeeling voice invaded her thoughts, leaving only one word before fading away.

_Come_.

She had her eyes glued to the pool of dark liquid, shuffling forward a few steps as she gulped. Her unconscious friends caught her eye and she moved around the edge of the pool towards them, her legs wobbling and hands shaking the entire way.

"G-guys?" Their eyes were closed, making it look to Korra as if they were simply just asleep. She knelt by them, placing a unsure hand on Bolin's chest. His pulse was steady as his chest moved up and down rhythmically. She sighed with relief, happy for a sign that they were okay, no matter how small. Pabu wriggled out of Bolin's collar, balancing on Bolin's broad shoulders and chittering into his ears.

Hanging her head, she looked up as a few rocks fell from the upper level of the cavern nearby, drawing her attention. Kaze wiggled his way out from a tight crevice, his sides completely covered in rock dust as he spotted her. The Spirit-Wolf made a whining noise as he crawled across the ground towards her on his belly, constantly scanning the darkness.

"What do I do?" She whispered, on the verge of spiraling into a complete panic. Unlike before, the guidance of her predecessors wouldn't come.

Kaze poked his snout near his master's face, sniffing vigorously for a few moments. She stared at the Spirit-Wolf, completely at a loss when it came to doing anything else.

At that moment she was sure the darkness had grown larger, looming all around her, threatening to smother her if she dared move from that spot. Her thoughts were in complete disarray as she tried futilely to understand what the spirit had done, and what it wanted of _her_.

She found herself back in the cold just outside of Inna's gates, feeling the exact same sense of helplessness and loss she felt staring into the burning slits of the spirit pinning her against the wall.

Back then she didn't know what it wanted, and even now she had no clue what it wanted.

She just didn't _know_.

A low and trembling whine, coming from Kaze, brought her back to cold and dark reality. She glanced at the spirit-wolf, watching as he settled next to Tai, shuffling closer so that he laid next to his master.

"Kaze-" She lost track of what she was about to say, noticing that the spiral markings on the wolf's sides glowed brilliantly against his dark grey fur. His eyes also had that same glow, looking eerily similar to the Avatar State.

It was then that she felt a calming presence surface in her mind, giving her the answer. Instinct drove her to take a deep breath and cross her legs, completely ignoring every single bruise and scratch as she closed her eyes, emptying her mind of all thoughts and worries.

_Keep calm, Korra_.

Aang's voice was a welcome sound in her thoughts, soothing her battered senses and helping her slip deeper and deeper into a calm state of rest. Every inch of her body felt relaxed and refreshed as she slowly noticed a white light expanding in the dark void, along with a whistle growing steadily in pitch.

* * *

Tai woke with a jump.

The first thing he noticed was the overpowering of hundreds of different flowers mashed together into one stink. It wafted into his nostrils, clogging them with a sweet and sickly smell that served to wake him up a little faster.

Light, and lots of it thoroughly destroyed any hope of him actually seeing his surroundings.

There was also a annoying whistle, which as it filled his ears reminded him of the same ringing sensation he experienced near that covered crate on Amon's airship.

Slowly he found the energy needed to open his eyes, immediately blinking and holding a hand to try and block the all-encompassing light that seemed to be everywhere at once.

His eyes were presented with the view of a steamy forest, occupied by a constant and steady drizzle of rain, each droplet appearing golden as the setting sun hit them with the entirety of its light. He looked around himself, sitting up and seeing that there was a light covering of wispy steam over the forest floor, occasionally being broken by the movement of a brightly colored creature. He couldn't tell what they were, but as long as they weren't coming after him he was fine that.

Straightening he wiped his hands on his pants, finding that there was a sheen of moisture clinging to his skin. Strangely enough, the heavy moisture in this place hadn't even dampened his longcoat, which beared some thinking.

Soon, he dismissed those thoughts as he spotted the lumbering profile of a _massive_...ape...fish..._thing, _just beyond the ring of trees surrounding the little grove he stood in. He took in a sharp intake of breath when he noticed the absolutely ferocious look on the ape-fish-thing's squashed up face as it came into view for a few brief seconds, before lumbering out of view behind a giant tree.

"I probably shouldn't go that way." Nodding, agreeing with his brain for once he turned around, placing a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun poking through the cluster of trees, hanging in the sky off in the distance. He arched a eyebrow at what looked to be a gargantuan formation of rock shaped like a dead tree off to the side, lording over a sea of fog and rock spires.

Grimacing, but still holding onto the decision that having a tangle with the giant ape-fish-thing wasn't in his best interests he set off, picking his way through the line of trees around the grove, leaving it behind as the foliage around him quickly swallowed it from view.

Every bush or tree trunk around him seemed to be teeming with movement, usually followed by a pair of glowing eyes that briefly focused on him as he passed by, before disappearing just as quickly.

Each strangely shaped flower or impossibly formed rock caught his eye as he trudged through the undergrowth of the strange forest, quickly coming to the realization that drawing his sword and cutting through would be much simpler.

Stopping with a grunt he reached a hand behind his back, going for the black leather handle that protuded above his shoulder, preparing to give a sharp tug that always answered with a satisfying rasp as the leather and the blade met-

He blinked twice, taking a few seconds to realize that his sword seemed to have been transformed into nothing but air. Making a few more experimental grasping movements with his hand, he just couldn't accept that his sword was _not on his person_.

Trying to calm himself down and not _panic_, he instead dropped his hand back to his side and looked inward. Bending could accomplish the same goal, a few slices of wind and he would be free to-

Blinking again he stared at his outstretched palm, dumbstruck that he wasn't blasting any air at all. Funny, that usually tended to work.

Throwing caution to the wind, which he didn't want to realize that he couldn't _manipulate,_ he stormed through the rest of the undergrowth, trampling several flowers underfoot and almost catching his foot on a exposed root dozens of times, his mind absently noting that they seemed to be getting darker in color and more brittle to the touch as he neared the edge of the treeline.

A expertly placed rock, surely meant specifically for him stood in the way of his foot, and he had no way of avoiding it as he tumbled into a roll, going head-over-body and undertaking several rolls before being deposited in a pile of twisted airbender.

Groaning he rolled over onto his back, seeing strangely shaped clouds full of fantastic colors hanging high above. It would have been quite a view to behold if he wanted to stick around. The sound of a rock shifting nearby caught his attention, he got up as quickly as he could, mind whirling as he went through those self-defense techniques Asami taught him-

His eyes were confused again at the sight of a very odd-looking monkey. It had brown skin, like most monkeys do, and it certainly had a agile and thin tail like most monkeys did, but the huge shock of bone white hair exploding outwards from its very grumpy features. It had both eyes closed and sat in a meditative position just in front of the alcove of a gnarled and curved rock formation, roughly spherical in shape.

Tai briefly wondered if it could talk or understand him, then berated himself at the crazy thought when the thing sighed and focused on him. "What are you gawking at, mortal?" It demanded in a strangely fitting harsh tone. The very embodiment of a old geezer.

"You're quite, something." He pointed out eloquently, determined to put this _geezer_ in its place. "And you can talk. Uh-huh."

"Urgh, every mortal that steps into my home always has a tiny brain. Is that a trend in your world?" It rolled its eyes and muttered something under its breath. "Just like the last one that came through."

Like a engine finally lurching to life, Tai's brain came through for him as it started to piece together every detail he had found while here. The strange trees, the weird sky, the _massive _ape-fish-_thing, _this old talking monkey-

"For once, why can't anything be simple? I'm in the _Spirit World?_" His mouth hung open at the mere mention of the mystical plane of existence.

"Oh, I didn't know my home was so famous! Yes the Spirit World!" It grumbled something and flicked a bright red bug off its shoulder, the surly expression not still there.

"Wait - what was that about the 'last one', someone else went through here?"

A explosive sigh answered him as the monkey closed its eyes and shifted a little on the rock, getting comfortable as it lifted a bony finger and pointed in the direction of the gigantic dead tree in the distance. "A human boy, just as stupid as you! He went into Koh's realm." It explained, mumbling under its breath again.

Chills entered his spine at the mention of that name, rooting him to the spot. The monkey took a deep breath in, cracking a eyelid and looking at him. "Well? Leave me be! And get going!"

Tai blinked and nodded, squaring his shoulders and looking nearby at the start of a path of twisted rock leading up to the base of the giant dead tree.

He took a deep breath.

* * *

The sounds of Aang's voice slowly faded from her head, leaving behind a mild pounding sensation that slowly subsided as her vision cleared and the buzzing in her ears stopped.

It took her a few moments before she even realized that she wasn't asleep and that she could open her eyes.

The first thing that Korra noticed about this place was how _humid_ it was. She could feel it, moisture in the air that just clang to her skin and clothes, which also had the undesirable effect of her hair going limp as well.

Opening her eyes she grunted, displeased as she reached up and felt the tip of her ponytail. Pouting for a moment she scanned her surroundings, quickly finding nothing but gnarled trees and strange flowers everywhere she looked. A complex latticework of thick roots held up each tree she could see, lifting them above the water that covered the area.

She recognized the trees, they looked similar to a picture Katara showed her in a book about the Foggy Swamp Tribe.

The piece of land she sat on had a perfectly circular perimeter, closer to a platform in make up than a naturally made rise. She wiped her hands on her pants then stood up, eyes wide as she took in the ethereal look the strange forest exuded.

A strange blue light in the distance caught her eye, half-hidden from her behind some of the thick mangrove trees.

With nothing else to go by she headed in its direction, clambering over the roots of a pair of trees next toe each other. Swinging her legs down first, they landed with a splash in the water. She shuddered as something she could only describe as a badly cooked sea-prune brushed against the back of her shin.

Sticking her tongue out in disgust, her face took on a green tinge for a few moments. She flailed for a few moments before getting her balance. Taking a deep breath she braved the swamp water, keeping her gaze fixed on the blue light waiting beyond the trees lining the other end.

Reaching the other side mercifully didn't take too long. She stopped a moment and shook her legs, shivering as her imagination decided to paint a disproportionately grotesque picture of what was underneath the water she had just waded through.

Immediately she put a clamp down on her thoughts as she passed through the thin treeline, catching a glimpse of a glowing ball of blue light floating in the air just past where the trees ended.

When she broke out of the treeline it whizzed away, disappearing in the distance where a massive dead tree stood. She felt a shiver of fear as she laid her eyes on it, before noticing the strangely shaped boulder nearby, with a strange looking monkey thing sitting inside a alcove set in the center.

Having no other options she approached it cautiously, keeping a nervous eye on it.

As her foot landed on the first of a series of steps cut into the boulder it sighed. "Not another one."

"I- uh, I'm kind of lost. And confused, do you know where-"

One of its eyes cracked open as the strange monkey grumbled under its breath. It went to say something, when it arched one of its eyebrows. "I know you."

"Eh- huh?" She scratched the back of her head, unable to recall going somewhere and meeting a monkey with orange fur and a big white beard that could talk. "We've...met?"

The strange monkey nodded gruffly, opening both of its eyes and squinting. "Hmm. You had no hair, and a arrow tattoo, and you were much shorter."

It took a few seconds for that sink in.

"Wait, you mean _Aang_? My predecessor?"

"Yes." It replied, closing its eyes again.

Korra felt nothing but excitement, maybe she could find Aang and talk with him, she could really use his wisdom right now- She had nearly forgotten her reason for being here, letting her excitement overwhelm her like that.

She realised it was looking at her, she must have been silent the entire time. "Um, I came here to find my friends, do you know where-"

"Up that path." It lifted a bony finger, indicating the looming specter of the dead tree in the distance.

"Oh, uh," she bowed quickly, clasping her hands together. "Thank you." She turned around and walked down the steps, hearing the odd monkey sigh to itself.

"Finally. Peace and quiet."

* * *

Dead bark, petrified and ancient, was all she could see.

The tree itself went up and up, to what height she didn't know as thickly tangled carpet of branches rested high above, casting shadow on her and everything else below them.

The only break in the dead bark was a hollow leading into the depths of the tree's roots, its maw completely dark with no light at all. She could hardly believe that Tai and Bolin were in there.

Steeling herself and taking a deep breath she pushed all of her worries and fears down, and started her journey down, holding onto a brave front as darkness closed around her.

She yelped in surprise as her foot found nothing but air, flailing her arms in desperation before it found a hard surface to stand on. She stood still, breathing heavily as the shock drained from her system.

While she recovered from the fright her eyes had started adjusting to the darkness around her, and she saw that she was standing on a step, the first of a huge staircase that wound downwards in what must have been the hollowed out trunk of the tree.

Korra fell into a lull as she went down the steps, already having lost count of how many there had been only a few minutes in.

Finally, her feet landed on solid and flat ground. And as soon as they did, she heard a tiny clicking sound somewhere behind her. On edge, she carefully walked forwards, soon seeing two bodies lying on the ground side by side.

Relief filled her and she went into a jog, kneeling over the two of them as her brain went into overdrive trying to solve the problem of getting them out of here.

Without warning, she heard a series of clicking noises somewhere close by in the darkness. A shiny and black claw showed in the corner of her eye, drawing a shuddering breath from her as it slowly moved forwards. It slipped under Bolin and Tai, lifting them off the floor and cradling them in its grip.

"You have come to me again, Avatar."

She whirled around, her eyes being met with a nightmarish sight. What she could see was the carapace of a massive centipede, with numerous black shiny claws on each side of its length. The most terrifying feature of the eldritch _thing_ was the closest to her. A white grinning face with grey patches around its small, _unnerving_ eyes appeared., similar to a grim white mask that dominated her nightmares occasionally.

"Koh." She breathed, quickly arranging her face into a neutral expression and standing her ground. She recalled as many of Katara's stories as she could, and avoided looking behind her at Bolin and Tai.

Its entire body tilted with its face, its luscious blood red lips showing what it thought a grin was. "And with a new face. I think I prefer this one over the last."

Korra controlled her urge to shudder as she felt its breath crawl across her shoulder, also feeling a slight burning sensation as the wound on her shoulder reacted in response. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them and staring into Koh's current eyes. "You have my friends. I want them back."

"Hmm. No."

She didn't move a muscles as more and more of Koh's body unfurled out of the shadows above her head, its face watching her the whole time while wrapping more and more of itself around her, its face now close to hers and change from a pale facemask to one of a young man, bristles of hair coating his chin and golden eyes watching her.

"This is that one's father, you know." It hissed, shaking Tai's limp body as it did so. "Anzo was its name."

"And this one..." It changed faces again, now to that of another man, with a much rounder and broader face and vivid green eyes. "This one is that one's," It squeezed Bolin, getting a slight groan out of him. "Its was Li."

Korra ground her teeth quietly and pushed her fear down, leaning in close towards the ancient spirit. "And you can't have them." She said as calm as possible, doing her best to mask the anger inside of her.

"You have no authority here, Avatar. I am as old as the world itself." Its face changed to that of a Fire Nation Oni as it shook the talons holding Tai and Bolin, flexing them a little.

A low growl came out of her when the talons constricted around them, squeezing inwards further and further. Her hands shook as her anger started to break out, flooding her with thoughts of attacking Koh-

With lightning quick movement it hissed and tightened its body around her, immense glee on its mask face. "_Good_."

She realised her mistake, panic filling her just as Aang's voice rang deep in her thoughts.

_Don't move._

Before her eyes the air shimmered and shifted as a patch of softly glowing light grew outwards into the shape of a person.

Aang leveled one look at Koh as he touched the spirit's flank. It shrieked in agony and uncurled its body from around Korra, dropping Tai and Bolin to the floor and disappearing up into the shadows.

Her vision went white again.

* * *

"Waking up, yet?

Korra opened her eyes with a yelp, bolting upright. She patted herself down, not sure what was going on until she saw the calm blue sky above her. She blinked and looked around at the rolling hills and lush green grass around her.

Nearby she spotted Tai and Bolin, sleeping peacefully next to a six-ton magical monster. "Appa?" She breathed, before laying eyes on the man sitting cross-legged on top of his saddle, his face calm and warm. "And Aang?"

He smiled at her, sliding down Appa's flank and standing over her, offering his hand. "Hello, Korra. That was cutting it close."

Her eyes widened as it all came back to her. Koh-" She looked around for any sign of the malevolent spirit, instead finding a gentle wind that caressed her face.

Aang smirked and chuckled. "We're safe from him."

"He nearly-" She paled just realising how close she was to having her face stolen, her identity _emptied_.

"But didn't. You need to be careful when dealing with him."

She looked at him, shoulders slumping. "I- yeah." She mumbled, looking at Bolin and Tai. "Are my friends okay?"

"They will be. They just need time to recover. Please, sit." Aang sat down on the lush and vibrant grass, his legs crossed. He indicated the grass at her feet.

Taking her eyes off Bolin and Tai for now she nodded and sat down, crossing her legs. The ground shook as Appa laid down nearby, his giant brown eyes focusing on Korra as he opened his wide mouth for a grumbling yawn.

Aang offered a apologetic smile. "You haven't had a chance to quite catch your breath yet, have you?"

Her mind ran through her ordeal under the bloodbenders, the encounter with the hooded man, her wound and its immeasurable pain, the strange spirits, and finally the face-to-face with Koh only just a few minutes ago. "I- no." She heaved a sigh, resisting the urge to stretch her tired muscles. "Thank you for rescuing me."

The bald man rubbed his beard and exchanged a look with App, snickering a little before outright bursting into laughter to her shock. "Anytime! I'd be a poor excuse for a spirit-guide if I had just let the old bug steal you and your friend's faces!"

Korra averted her gaze and picked at the grass, a little embarrassed.

Aang sighed. "Sorry. Now, is there anything you want to ask me? Any otherworldy wisdom you wish I to impart to thou?" he beamed at her and wiggled his eyebrows. "Throw 'em at me, Avatar."

_Avatar_. Korra's eyes narrowed as she lifted her hand and stared at her open palm. "Aang. Those things I faced out in the blizzard, they were spirits, weren't they?"

His face sobered up immediately as he looked the side for a moment. "Without a doubt. Did they hurt you?"

"No. Not those ones." She rubbed a ache on her shoulder. "They didn't look right, and, something strange happened when I used my waterbending on one of them." She looked up at the guarded look on him. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

The airbender didn't responded immediately as he bowed his head. She arched a eyebrow when he stood up. "I need to show you something."

"What? What about my friends, they're not-"

"Nothing can harm them in this place, Korra. The opposite of what can be said for where we're going." The man rubbed Appa's cheek before disappearing with a blue shimmer and reappearing perched on the Sky Bison's neck. Appa swung his head towards Korra and grumbled before getting to his six feet and reaching his full height. "Hop on."

She reluctantly moved towards Appa, the Bison's tongue rolling out and licking her forearm when she passed by his mouth. She blanched and shot the bison a dirty look. "Thanks." Korra shook her arm before grabbing onto his fur and pulling herself onto his back, immediately seeing that he didn't have a saddle on.

Korra pressed her legs as much as possible to make sure she didn't fall off as she sat behind Aang. "Okay, let's-"

Appa bellowed and took flight with ease, his six legs trailing underneath him as he flew higher and higher into the clear blue sky, leaving the lush hill and the sunny fields surrounding it behind.

Aang urged him forwards where a large and overgrown mountain sat in the distance, getting closer and closer. Once they had gotten close enough she could pick out things moving through the plant-filled fissures lining the mountain, or jumping in and out of the many waterfalls tumbling from it into the forests below it. "I think I prefer flying on Appa to Oogi any day!" she shouted above the wind, getting a chuckle from Aang as he gently knocked the Sky Bison's sides.

"Yeah, he is a bit more temperamental than my buddy here."

She nodded her agreement before asking something else, something that had been bugging her since being in the cave. "Hey, Aang, you and the past Avatars know my thoughts right?"

"A little. Not enough to influence you in any way, though. What do you want to-"

"Did you recognize which Avatar was speaking to me when I was fighting those spirits?"

The man slowly shook his head, very much to her surprise. "No. Over the years I asked Yangchen and Roku to learn what I could on their predecessors, but even they don't know who she is. That means she would have been around a very long time ago."

"Yeah. She told to use my waterbending on that spirit, and something started happening to it. It was changing somehow."

"...what happened is something related to what I'm about to show you."

To her surprise they bypassed the mountain completely when Aang guided Appa around it, flying over huge swathes of forests, plains and grasslands below which had to have been miles big by themselves, and yet Appa flew over them in minutes.

Suddenly the lush and vibrant forests ended, the sea of green being broken a rough circular patch with everything in it dark and twisted. A dead spot in the middle of a vibrant world.

Even the air over it felt stale and lifeless. "Yip yip." Korra heard Aang murmur. As they descended she spotted what looked like the ruins of a small wooden building, scorched and blackened and dead, perched on a small rise completely covered in fields of thin grass that flattened easily as Appa landed near the base.

Aang looked on edge as he rubbed Appa's ear, murmuring something to him before hopping off. Korra slid down his side and joined him. "Aang, what-" the question died when she spotted the scores of burning slits surrounding them.

As soon as she realised they were there, they vanished into thin air, leaving her with a chill. She rubbed her sides as she looked around at the broken landscape. "What happened?" she whispered.

"Everything passed on, Korra. Except for the spirits who made their home here." No cheer showed in Aang's tone as he moved a couple of steps, looking up the hill at the ruined building. "Life is precious in all places, most of all in the Spirit World." he glanced at her. "Have you heard the details of how I ended the Fire Nation's siege of the Northern Water Tribe during the Hundred Year War?"

"Of course I-" Korra recalled everything from what she learned at the compound. "-Katara told me how you worked with the Ocean Spirit to stop the fighting."

"...That's the basic story." Guilt struck the man as he heaved a sigh. "But not the full picture... when I merged with the Ocean Spirit, I was not in full control of my actions. I sunk at least one hundred ships that day to save the city."

She didn't say anything. How could she?

He continued. "I only truly grasped the consequences of my actions when I saw what it had done to the Spirit World." Aang stared straight into her. "Life and death exist in a careful balance, part of the Avatar's duty is to preserve it... but there are events simply out of our control."

"Aang?"

"Whenever a great tragedy occurs in the human world, the very essence of the landscape is forever tainted. As are the spirits who lived there."

* * *

土


	19. The Wind Picks Up, the Flame Flickers

土

* * *

Bolin opened his eyes, seeing a large grey wolf sitting in front of him, tongue wagging from the side of his mouth and keen brown eyes lighting up at the sight of movement.

"Kaze?" Bolin murmured, voice hoarse and his thoughts groggy as the spirit-wolf padded closer and started licking his cheek, yapping excitedly.

A red length of fur curled up on his chest poked its head up to study what Kaze's fuss was all about before getting to its feet.

Suddenly the spirit-wolf darted away from him, making a series of whines as he poked a unconscious Tai near Bolin's arm.

He looked over, checking if he had hit his head or when he noticed the jagged rent in the longcoat over his shoulder, with a large black and red gash that looked deep.

Pabu tilted his head from his perch on Bolin's chest and shot forward, chittering excitedly while lavishing his owner's cheeks with licks and nuzzling his nose.

Bolin coughed and sputtered through a slight smile, rubbing the back of his head as he felt a massive pounding sensation. "Hey, buddy." He lifted a arm off the ground, surprised by how difficult it was to even do so as he stroked Pabu's head.

Boy, this was his most real dream yet. He had been inside some kind of weird swamp-forest, met a cranky monkey and… and…

He could have sworn the dream went farther than that, but when he tried to reach beyond the meeting with the strange monkey he felt a slight wave of fuzziness and a slight buzzing noise roll over his head, he shook himself to get rid of the unpleasant feeling and slapped his ears.

Instantly his head cleared.

It was then that he recognised the pitch black space around him, they were still in the glacier. He bolted upright, remembering the vice-like grip of that _thing_ that grabbed him before, he took a sharp intake of breath as he patted his arms frantically for any marks or wounds, only to breath a sigh of relief when he found nothing of the kind.

Looking around he spotted Korra on the ground next to him, lying on her back with her eyes closed. He could barely remember the last time she looked so... serene.

Kaze continued to whine as Bolin noticed Tai lying on his side, breathing steadily as well. Bolin swung his gaze over to Korra for a second, a idea forming that should help wake them up. He looked down at Tai again, taking a deep breath in before slapping him across the cheek, the sharp strike resounding all over the cave.

The spirit wolf yapped in surprise, growling for a split-second before he realised that it wasn't an attack on his master.

Bolin's face fell when nothing happened. He glanced at Pabu, whose chitter's had a suspicious tone to them as he tilted his head and looked down at the airbender.

"Um, okay I thought that would wake him." Pabu leveled a look at him, holding it for several moments before looking away. "It was either him or Korra, Pabu. And I'm not hitting _her_."

Turning his attention back to his current dilemma he shifted, turning around to face Korra. "Um, Korra? Can you wake up now?" He whispered, his question quickly proved ineffectual when she didn't stir.

"Can't panic- can't panic- can't panic-" he murmured under his breath while looking down at her, still unresponsive. His hand hovered over her mouth and he extended a finger, gently lowering it down until he could feel a very small trickle of her warm breath tickling the side of his finger.

"Phew..." He loosed a sigh as he nodded and sat down, just grateful that she wasn't hurt or anything. He wasn't that he could handle that.

Behind he heard a small groan. He turned around, just in time to see Tai open his eyes and lift his head. He looked at Bolin. "Bolin, what-"

He stopped talking for a moment as he pressed a hand to his shoulder, uttering a short gasp. He gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw as the pain mounted, not sure what had been done to him. Pushing the pain down, he looked at Bolin. "-Nevermind, we've got to get out of here."

Bolin nodded, getting to his feet even though his legs felt like something approaching pounded jelly.

Kaze supported his master by staying as still as possible while Tai went to stand, biting down on a groan as his legs kept resisting his commands to work. They relented and he managed to get to his own too feet, before they buckled and he collapsed to the ground with a sigh.

"Dude!" Bolin went to check on him, only to find that his eyes were closed. He glanced at the spirit-wolf, who barked in alarm before lowering himself down to the ground and crawling forwards towards his unconscious master. Bolin got what Kaze was trying to do and held Tai off the ground while Kaze wormed underneath him, lifting the boy onto his back.

The spirit-wolf looked up at him and barked, pointing his snout in the direction of the exit from the cavern.

He nodded his understanding, starting to panic at the thought of getting everyone out of there by himself with just a large wolf and a Fire Ferret for backup. Bolin looked down at Korra, seeing the bruises and cuts on her standing in sharp relief.

She would do the same for him. She probably just _did_.

Steeling himself and squaring his shoulders he took a deep breath, calming himself and clearing his mind of any distractions.

Bolin squatted down, gently holding Korra's wrist as he guided her limp arm around his neck, carefully he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up to her feet. He grunted with the effort of cradling her in his arms.

Without thinking about it he flicked a loose strand of hair away from her mouth as Kaze padded past him, going slowly so he wouldn't jostle the unconscious boy on his back as he stood in front of a nearby path near the wall of the cave, sloping upwards and connecting with the top portion of the cavern.

Pabu chittered as he disappeared back into the boy's collar.

Bolin shifted his shoulders, tightening his grip on Korra as he followed Kaze up.

* * *

Her tongue flicked in and out of the side of her mouth as she patiently waited, sitting right where Korra had told her to.

She hadn't moved much, only once when the wind around her had picked up to a unbearable level, forcing her to huddle closer to the entrance of the bad place, not liking the evil smell coming from within.

It covered the entire place, coming most strongly from the dead-plant-limbs on the rock around her.

But she didn't let it bother her, focusing on waiting for Korra and Bolin and Tai to come back out.

That was a long time ago.

Now she padded back and forth in front of the entrance, wondering if something had happened to her owner inside the bad place.

Naga sat back down, stilling herself as she peered into the blackness once again.

Something, some kind of noise, reached her ears. She pricked them up, barely able hear to a strange echo coming from inside, sounding high-pitched and repeating itself over and over. It set her on edge, calling to her instincts to bare her teeth and flex her claws, to ready her for whatever threat came out of the evil place-

"N-Naga..." Her growls softened almost instantly to a curious whine as she tilted her head quizzically and recognized him.

She barked and lumbered forwards, lavishing licks on Bolin before softly pushing at Korra's shoulder with her snout, trying to wake her from sleep. Her longtime friend didn't even move.

Kaze barked a greeting nearby as he slinked past Bolin, sides heaving and gait ambling as he stopped near Naga and panted while craning his head and licking a spot on his unconscious master's face.

Bolin swayed dangerously as he walked past Naga and stopped in place, breathing heavily as he carefully lifted Korra onto the back of the saddle without a word. He bundled her legs and arms so that she wouldn't be dislodged by any action, and briefly placed a palm on her forehead to check her condition.

He nodded, relieved that she wasn't flaring up or anything. He moved, patting Naga's side before going back in front of Naga and making his way to her other side where Kaze laid on the ground, panting and trying to regain his breath.

The wind picked up as he squatted down next to Kaze, patting him on the head before getting a grip under Ta's shoulders and pulling him closer, holding onto him tightly as he half carried and half-dragged him towards Naga's side. His breath caught as the wind howled, buffeting him as he coughed and sputtered. He gritted his teeth and ignored the distraction, making sure Tai was safely secured on the saddle.

Without being told to Kaze got up, still panting heavily as he skipped up Naga's side and settled into place on top of his owner, using his own body to provide warmth to the boy, he also laid his thick and bushy tail over Korra so that she could benefit as well.

Pabu chittered from within Bolin's collar as he rubbed his hands together, trying get some semblance of warmth back into them before climbing up onto Naga's saddle. He pressed his legs against' Naga's sides to keep from falling off and flipped his jacket's hood up and pulled on the drawstrings, closing it up to protect against the wind.

His thoughts kept slowing down and down and he almost lost the fight against closing his eyes. Exhaling and focusing on his breathing he shook his head to refresh himself and leaned downwards. "Okay girl, you know what to do." He murmured in Naga's ear, with a fatigued and barely audible tone.

Naga understood immediately, barking and setting off at a careful pace, glad that everyone was back and they could now get away from the bad place and the evil smell.

* * *

Heat radiated from the naked flame being emitted from his outstretched palm, warming him and serving to ward the sharp bite of the icy winds howling around them. The cold snow around them, brightened and only visible because of his flame occasionally shifted or made a noise as one of them stumbled then recovered.

When this happened Korra's parents would redouble their sweeping arm movements and increase their efforts, working harder to smooth and flatten the snow in a wide area around them so they could walk normally without being burdened.

His flame flickered as the wind picked up sharply in speed, drawing his attention as it danced and wavered vigorously before settling back down. He glanced behind him at the two other firebenders that had volunteered, mainly at Sensha, since Korra's 'boyfriend' didn't feel like talking or, well, even doing anything except keep a sour look on.

Sensha noticed his glance and smiled weakly while fighting the urge to chatter her teeth as the cold got to her. "Howl, do you think we're close?" She asked, raising her voice slightly above the noise of the wind.

He turned his head to look back at her, nodding carefully so his damn helmet wouldn't slip. Whoever designed them obviously wasn't working with a human head in mind. "The Dark Cave should just be over the next hill."

"Y'know, its kind of strange how you guys have a name for it." She answered back, chuckling quietly as she focused on keeping the fuel to the flame above each of her hands flowing.

Howl shook his head in amusement, glad to focus on something apart from the cold and grim grey land around them. "Yeah, its what we do. I'm kind of glad we're talking like this."

She shrugged. "Well, gotta do something to keep warm right?" She explained through chattering teeth.

"Hmm. So what's tall,dark and brooding's story?" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Mako, still silent as he had been since they left the compound.

"Oh...I'm not really sure... I think its something to do with Korra." Sensha tripped over herself, being reminded with just how inexperienced she was with this subject. That would change one day.

Immediately his thoughts went to dark places. "I've been friends with her a long time. If he's done-"

"No-no-no! Nothing like that! I just think that..." She paused, loosing a reluctant sigh before continuing. "A few weeks ago in Republic City, a group of bloodbenders captured her... And I think that Mako is just feeling really helpless right now." Sensha fell quite again as she remembered who else was out in the dark frozen landscape. "His brother's out there as well."

Just as the ground beneath them started to slope upwards and the crest of the hill loomed above, a lumbering shape appeared at the top. She squinted, unable to tell what it was unless it came closer to the light of her fire.

Up ahead, Senna and Tonraq abruptly ceased their flowing dance of waterbending and ran up the hill towards the lumbering shape. "Naga!"

Sensha and Howl picked up their pace, jogging up the hill after them while Sensha noticed that Mako had stopped dead in the snow.

Her breath skipped when she got close enough to pick out the stocky person sitting on Naga's saddle, holding the reins tightly with a hood almost completely obscuring his face. Even from this distance she could spot his green eyes though. She found herself breaking into a outright sprint, not caring that her legs quickly started to burn with the effort of powering through the thick snow while going up a steep rise.

Even from here, she could see that Bolin's cheeks were blood-red and his lips were cracked, all while being covered by a thin layer of ice crystals. She came to Naga's side, seeing that he shuddered and shivered with each breath he took.

He swayed terribly in the saddle as slowly he lifted his head and noticed the four of them standing in front of Naga. "Its... a little cold-" He sighed and slumped sideways, slipping away from the saddle and nearly sent tumbling down Naga's side if it wasn't for Tonraq's quick reflexes.

Tonraq grimaced as he kept the boy upright, concerned at the constant murmuring coming out of him. Howl moved towards him. "Put him back on Naga, it'll only slow us down if you carry him."

It took him a while to respond. Tonraq nodded and hoisted Bolin back onto the saddle and kept close by in case he fell again. He exchanged a look with his wife as she hovered near the back of the saddle, nervously casting looks at her unconscious daughter and at Tai as well.

Senna and Tonraq stayed by their daughter's side the entire time whilst Howl took Naga's reins and got her moving, leading her down onto the hill's slope. He glanced at Mako as they went past, noticing that he hadn't moved a muscle at all the entire time just... stared at the ground in front of him.

Sensha stared up at Bolin the entire time they guided Naga down the hill, just as the grey clouds above tinged with golden light.

* * *

_White Lotus Compound, South Pole._

Someone close by breathed a quiet sigh of relief, which she could only just hear as she started to wake. Unlike the other two times she had woken, she didn't feel any sharp twinges of pain, or smothering fogginess in her head. She couldn't even feel a ache anywhere on her.

But just to be careful she opened her eyes slowly, getting them used to the level of lighting in whatever place she was now laying in.

Her opinion of the place immediately soared when the first sight greeting her eyes was her mother, smiling down at her.

"Hey, mom." Korra croaked, feeling surprise for only a second before guessing that she must have been asleep for quite a while. She carefully sat up in the bed and wiggled backwards to lean back on the headboard as she kept the sheets over her legs for warmth and comfort.

Wasting no time Senna leaned towards her, wrapping her in a warm embrace. "Thank goodness." She said, her voicy husky.

She found she didn't have a clue what to say to that, realising just how worried her mother must have been the whole time she was out there looking for Tai. So she didn't say anything, just nodding and resting a cheek on her mother's shoulder, returning her embrace.

A minute passed and she felt reluctant in breaking away from her mother's embrace, still as tight as ever. To Korra's relief that decision was made by someone else when Tonraq's large hand gently shook his wife's shoulder. "Honey."

Senna opened her eyes and blinked twice, realizing that they were wet. She rubbed at them and nodded, shakily smiling at Tonraq.

"That was so brave of you, what you did." He smiled at his daughter, filled with pride over her actions. No matter what, family and friends came first in the Water Tribe.

"Thanks, dad. How are they, are they-"

"Bolin is in the mess hall, making the cook's life miserable and the airbender is just in the next room, still recovering." He explained, Tonraq paused before nodding to himself. "We heard from Bolin about the creature's you faced." His expression grew hard for a moment as he glanced to the side.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

"Unalaq warned me that the attacks would come to the Southern Water Tribe soon enough." he muttered, his hands clenching into fists. "I should have gone with you."

"Wait, attacks?" Then she remembered her brief talk with her uncle back in Inna. "That was the reason he came down here."

Tonraq worked his jaw before giving a tight nod.

Suddenly the door at the other end of the room slid open, opened by someone Korra wasn't sure she wanted to see again so soon, with a sliver of the wooden hallway just outside the Grand Lotus's office behind him.

His dirty golden eyes didn't betray his thoughts as they usually did when looking at her.

Korra's parents turned as one. "Mako?" They both echoed.

"This isn't a good time, can you come back-"

He nodded to the two of them, almost mechanical in movement. "May I talk to her? In private?"

They blinked at his strangely curt tones as they glanced at Korra and noticed a slightly reluctant look in her eyes. Tonraq went to shake his head when Senna nodded, wearing a smile after giving Tonraq a look. "Sure thing."

Tonraq extended his hand for Senna to grab onto, pulling her to her feet and by his side. "We can talk later, honey." They both smiled at her one last time.

Mako moved out of the way for them to step outside into the hallway, closing the sliding door for them. The room dimmed a little as a good portion of its light disappeared. He still didn't move, only staring at the wall just above the bed's headboard with his hands by his sides.

"You're back."

She nodded, her voice choosing that exact moment to seize up.

He took a few steps, standing by the edge of the bed while still keeping his gaze on the wall. "No one... got hurt, did they?"

Korra shook her head as images of that spirit taking Bolin invaded her mind. She looked to the side, focusing on the White Lotus symbol on the nearby dresser. "No." she whispered, kneading a handful of the sheets.

"Right."

Inwardly she winced at the tones of doubt evident in that single word, and at the _contempt_ barely being held back, for her sake she guessed.

"I know when you're lying, Korra." She stiffened, expecting to have a pair of accusing eyes staring at her judgementally. But Mako still stared at the wall above her head. He folded his arms across his chest and ran a hand down his face, chuckling quietly, almost bitterly. "How could you just take Bolin with you into that cave? With those things out there. How could you let Bolin get hurt?"

"Mako-"

One look from him stopped her from saying anything further as he looked at her, no, _looked down_ on her. She felt her blood boil from the idea that he was even doing something like that.

"I mean, you've hurt him in other ways before, but I didn't think you'd go as far to actually put him in _danger to do so_." He began pacing furiously going from the door back to the edge of the bed.

"Mako-" Any sympathetic thoughts concerning the firebender started to fade from Korra, and she actually found that she had started to clench her fists.

"And you pretend like nothing's wrong. Like its some harmless adventure! I suppose being the Avatar that's all you can really think about right? Everything's just a big adventure to you and everyone else is along for the ride!" His voice started to rise the further he got into it, suppressing any chance of her talking.

It felt like a hammer had been slammed into her stomach. "M-Mak-" She couldn't fight the quiver in her voice, couldn't stop the tears starting to well up. Couldn't do anything but sit there and _take it_.

"You just don't get what happens to everyone around you! You don't _care_ one bit about the consequences!" His voice lowered to a dangerously low growl, sending shocks of fear down her spine. "If it was just _you_ being affected I would not care. But not when its _Bolin_."

Another hammerblow slammed into her. And the first tear rolled down her cheek, dropping on the sheets below as she hung her head. "I- protected him best I could, but-"

"Protected him? Don't make me laugh, Korra! He nearly froze to _death_!" Mako fell silent, breathing in and out heavily with clenched fists, just glaring at her.

The fire in his eyes... it frightened her. "You put my _brother_ in danger just to go after that _idiot_."

There was a single light rap on the door to the room before it slid open, revealing Ataneq with Howl at his side. Korra never thought she would ever be so glad to see him. "Am I interrupting something, Avatar?"

She quickly wiped the tears away, but she was slow enough for Howl to notice. He looked at her, eyes soft, before his gaze settled accusingly on Mako, who returned it with a quick glare before looking away and staring at the wall. "N-no, Grand Lotus."

"Hmm." As he walked further in, stopping at the foot of the bed the Avatar sat on, he had already noticed the dried marks on the girl's cheeks. He knew he always had a rocky relationship with the young woman and he knew that would most likely never change, but that didn't mean he felt no concern about her. He had protected her since she was little, after all.

As such, he felt a level of protective anger towards the firebender standing off to the side, well aware of what he was to Korra. "How are you feeling?"

She blinked, a little confused by the fact that Ataneq was asking about her health. Quickly she got over it. "Um, fine, actually. I talked with Aang."

"You- what? When - how?" Ataneq was genuinely shocked, he knew that Aang appeared to her when her bending had been taken, but he dismissed as a special case, not a sign that Korra may have genuinely gotten in touch with her spiritual side. He shook his head and clasped his hands behind his back. "That's surprising but excellent news. What did he tell you? Did he say anything about how to combat the spirits?"

"No, he told me that they've been corrupted somehow."

Thoughts about Korra's earlier confrontation with him in his office came to mind. He clasped his hands behind his back and took a deep breath. "I have some good news for you as well, Korra. You do not have to stay here, in the compound."

"Wha- really?"

Ataneq nodded. "Yes, well, there's a small compromise. The White Lotus already has guards stationed on Air Temple Island, but I've decided that Howl will be sent over as your personal bodyguard." The look of joy on Korra made him pause for a moment as he felt increasingly uncomfortable. "Yes. Well. That will be all. Howl." He turned curtly and went back out into the hallway.

Howl had a wide grin on him, which briefly flicker into a angry scowl when he glanced at Mako briefly. He followed Ataneq out without a word spoken, a little reluctant that he had to leave her in the room with just _him_ for company.

The door slid closed again, leaving the room silent and the air heavy between Korra and Mako as they stared into one another's eyes for a few eternal minutes, with her trying desperately to know what he wanted from her, the other too fired up to think clearly.

Before she could collect herself or calm down enough to explain her side of things he just turned his back to her without a word of explanation and started walking, reaching for the door and sliding it open with a crash and stepping out into the hallway, closing it behind him with a slam that made the doorframe quiver in response.

Korra hoped that she would just find a hollow void inside of herself, endless and uncaring, something that would swallow up any emotion she might have. But that would have been kidding herself. She felt drained and crushed, and she thought she now knew what rock-bottom meant, or even worse, what being under the _bottom _of _a rock_ felt like.

Not since that moment on the cliff so long ago, did she feel so helpless.

She needed to get out of this room. Just someplace other than here would do. Her gaze settled on the nearby wall and its sliding door. Without thinking about it she threw the sheets away from her, wiped a stray tear from her cheek, and got out of the bed.

Trying very hard to think about anything at the moment she listed over to the door, resting her hand on its edge before giving a slow and gentle push.

It was almost exactly similar to the room behind her, yet to her it felt completely different, more...lighter.

Being greeted with the sight of a constantly happy and energetic spirit-wolf lifted her spirits somewhat as it laid on the bed, currently cutting off air to the legs of the boy lying under the bedspread. The old woman seated next to the wolf, running a gently shifting ball of water over the boy's bare shoulders was also a welcome sight.

"Try as I might, I just could not get him to move." Katara chuckled as she ran the ball over a bruise on Tai's shoulder, getting a sharp yelp from him. She looked over at Korra the entire time as she healed the boy. "Are you feeling well, Korra?"

Thoughts about Mako left her mind as her eyes slid to the floor before she quickly forced herself to look at Katara, nodding. The old woman smiled in return.

He winced and gritted his teeth at the sharp stab of pain. "Uh, lady Katara, do you think you could, y'know, concentrate on your patient?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, young man." She said in a sweet and kindly way, before 'accidentally' letting the surface of the healing water thicken a little too much, resulting in it slapping against the bruises on the boy's shoulder. A trick she had perfected against her own brother long before her current patient was born.

"Don't healers heal?" He hissed out, beginning to see that lady Katara wasn't as kindly as she seemed.

The old woman chuckled, always amused by that trick just as she ran the ball over a long cut running the top of the boy's right shoulder and reaching down for a few centimeters. She recognized the thin strip of knobbly black scar tissue covering the cut, it looked exactly like Korra's. She fell silent as she realized the implications of this.

Tenzin would need to know. She smiled warmly at the two of them as she let the healing ball dissolve, guiding the resulting ribbon of water back into her hip flask and screwing the cap on. "All done. You're lucky have Korra and me around, young man."

"You're finished already?"

"Oh, yes. I just need to make a phone call. I'll be back in a few minutes for a check up." She kept the smile on as she stopped and placed a hand on Korra's unscarred shoulder. "Can you step outside for a minute?"

"Oh. Sure." Korra followed her out, looking back into the room to see a curious expression on Tai before she looked at Katara. "What's up?"

"I wanted to hear from you about your encounter with that man, Korra. And what you saw at the glacier." The old woman's voice had switched from kindly and warm to direct and honest in a instant. She nodded at the wound on Korra's shoulder, half-hidden under the edge of her shirt. "Kya told me that you were knocked out for a while on the way to the compound."

"But I'm better now."

"That wound is not natural, Korra. We need to find a way to remove it as soon as possible."

"I'm fine, Katara. Okay?"

"If it were up to me I would be making you rest for a couple more days. But I know there's a low chance of that happening."

"I talked with Aang." Korra watched as the old woman fell silent and her eyes grew soft. "He told me that the spirits are being corrupted by something. Possibly someone." She wasn't done. "I could barely fight them at all, let alone protect my friends from that hooded guy... I need to learn more about him and them. I tried fighting them, but without Aang's help I would have been a goner." She didn't say anything about the unknown voice, knowing that Katara would have no idea about it.

She needed to find out on her own.

Katara smiled at her. "I'm confident you will find the solution." Korra wrapped her arms around the old lady.

"Hope so." Korra muttered. Katara chuckled and stroked the girl's hair for a few seconds.

"You're strong, Korra. You can get past this." With those parting words Korra released her, stepping back and folding her arms with a shaky breath as the old woman left down the hall.

For a second she stood there in front of the doorway when she caught a glimpse of Mako's red scar disappearing around a corner.

Her eyes narrowed and the sense of helplessness came back. She gritted her teeth and turned to stalk back into the room. Kaze yapped a greeting and stood up on the bed, wagging his big tail. She barely glanced at the Spirit-Wolf or at the boy sitting up in the bed with a arched eyebrow.

"So, uh..." She heard him say, her eyes scanning the room for something to do or look at, settling on a misshapen pile of dark fabric sitting on top of the nearby dresser. She went over and picked it up, holding it out in front of her and putting her fingers through the massive tear on its shoulder, which strangely wasn't even frayed. Like it had been caught in a industrial cutter for a brief time.

"Sorry."

"For what?" She retracted her hand and glanced at him a little too sharply.

He shifted uncomfortably, hiding a wince from her as he rolled his shoulder the wrong way. "For just running off," He sighed and slipped the corner of his t-shirt from his shoulder to reveal the bandages. "I'm an idiot."

Korra already knew what her answer to that would be. She shook her head as her thoughts turned to something much more pressing than arguing if he was a idiot or not. "That was Telei. Wasn't it?" she whispered, Tai's descriptions of him and his methods coursing through her head, combining with her experiences of fighting- no, _holding out against- _him painted a terrifying picture. The boy stared at the sheets covering his lap, giving a sharp small nod.

"It was him. The whole time." he could hardly believe the words coming out of him, knowing full well that his old master was dead, buried under the ruins of his pagoda at Pouhai. His brother, Noatok and the Lieutenant saw to that.

"I couldn't even touch him. Even in the Avatar State, I-" Korra heaved a shuddering breath, unable to stop herself from revealing how outmatched she felt during that fight. She hugged herself as she sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor and nowhere else. Somehow she managed to garner up a measure of courage and stare at him. "You don't think there's something wrong with my bending?"

"No. Of course not, what makes you-"

"During that sparring match. I tried to airbend but ended up hurting myself. And again when I got jumped by the Red Monsoons." She grinded her teeth, ashamed that she was even saying anything out loud about her problem. This was supposed to be behind her. It was supposed to be fixed. "The only reason I'm still kicking is because of the Avatar State."

"So what do you want to do about it?"

"I-" her gaze faltered. "I don't know."

She blinked in surprise when he exclaimed and nodded to himself. "What about the Air Temple? Tenzin is taking his family there, maybe we can find something to fix your bending."

The feeling of helplessness dulled somewhat.

* * *

"So pro-bending must give you a unnatural appetite, huh?" Howl pondered, his head tilted and his mouth slightly agape in stunned curiosity at the carnage happening in front of him right now. "Urk!" He coughed and sputtered, turning to Asami with a pained expression while rubbing his side. "So mature, ms Sato." he hissed.

"My company is the Fire Ferret's sole sponsor, so I need him in top shape. Especially with the summit match coming up." She stuck her tongue out at the young guard, smiling sweetly.

He sighed and folded his arms.

Sensha giggled as she plucked one of the few surviving dim sims from a plate sitting just on Bolin's peripheral, knowing that he shouldn't notice. She relished the smell coming from the smooth surface of the pastry, before popping in her mouth and grinning toothily. "I'm still surprised that its only been a day and you're...well... back to being you."

"Wrrlrmnet-" Bolin held up a finger as his cheeks tinged red, swallowing and breathing a sigh of relief. He patted his belly. "Wait a moment. I've got to fuel up with that match coming up back in Republic City! Aah, it'll be good being back home. I'm kind of over the cold."

"So he loves my cooking but hates my home?"

"Senna- Um, wait, no that's-" He found he couldn't stop himself from stammering as Korra's mother approached the table, the tinges of a smile on her.

"Its fine, I'm just teasing." She slid onto the bench next to Sensha. "At least you clean up better than my daughter does."

"Oh boy..." Howl pinched his nose in frustration, remember how young he was when exposed to those images of _destruction_ and _despair_, with a small child in the midst of it all, surrounded by stacks of dinner plates that overshadowed him and his one clean plate. She ate _everything_. That was the day Ataneq relented and allowed Korra to go hunting with her parents.

Asami noticed his look but didn't ask, instead wondering about something entirely different. "It's nice to finally go home, although I'll only be coming back to a mess." She sighed and leaned forwards, resting her cheek on the table and letting her hair cascade over her like a curtain.

When she gets back, she'll have a lot of explaining to do when meeting the board of executives. Especially after finding out what happened to the _Moonflow_. "Not to mention I'll have to hold talks with the Fire Lord, the Earth King and Korra's uncle."

"Why?" Bolin asked as he used spun a web of golden noodles around his chopstick.

She breathed a heavy sigh as she moved her hair out of the way so she could see him. "I'm currently the head of a company that was used as a front to harbor, equip and finance one of the largest terrorist organisations in the world. I think they may want to have a few words with me." She sighed when he pouted, knowing she shouldn't have been so harsh about telling him. But it was the truth. She wasn't exactly looking forward to coming back to Republic City. Or facing yet another problem her father had caused.

"But general Iroh can vouch for you, right?"

"He probably will. So maybe I can at least get the Fire Lord to listen. I don't know about the Earth King, though. I don't even know who he is."

"You're not alone." Everyone looked at Howl. "For years, we've been trying to find his identity as well. Nothing."

"Sounds spooky." Sensha murmured.

Bolin gulped down the noodley web with a satisfied sigh, getting a exasperated sigh from Sensha when he spotted Mako walking into the mess hall. Pabu chittered in alarm as he lifted his arm and waved. "Mako! Over here!"

His older brother didn't even acknowledge him, keeping well away from the table and stalking outside.

* * *

_Inna Docks, Capital of the Southern Water Tribe._

"So, everyone ready to go?" Tonraq and Senna studied the gathered faces, glad that at least this time the trip back to Inna wasn't as eventful.

"Definitely, I'm kind of itching to get back to Republic City." Asami grinned, hiding the dread she felt in going back there and resuming task of saving her company.

"Ah, especially with the match coming up, I can use the time to prepare!" Bolin then winced and clamped a hand on his side, his smile strained. "A little sore, but that won't stop me."

"Don't overdo it, stupid." Sensha warned, casting a look of worry at the earthbender.

Tonraq smiled and extended his hand towards Bolin. "We'll be listening in from down here, won't miss a single minute." The young earthbender took it and winced again as he felt the bones in his fingers squeeze together.

Korra stood off to the side a little near the edge of the pier, her arms folded as she stared at the light hitting the small icebergs and the occasional waterjet blasted by a horn-whale as it swam under the ice. Asami came up to her. "Does Mako know you're not coming back to Republic City?"

She gulped and quickly shook her head. "Uh - no. I can't go back yet, not with him- I mean, not until I've done some thinking."

Asami nodded. "A Air Temple should do the trick. Hey-" she clapped Korra's arm. "-Just make sure you come by the Estate when you get back. Pool's still there."

Despite herself the tinges of a smile showed on Korra. She looked up at Asami. "Looking forward to it."

"Yo, Asami, ferry guy's yelling at us!" Bolin called out.

She took a few steps backwards, giving Korra a smile. "See you when you get back, Korra." Asami left to join Sensha and Bolin as they began making their way towards the ramp.

"As your newly appointed bodyguard, isn't me coming with you a requirement, Korra?"

Korra turned around. "I'll be fine, Howl. Tenzin won't let anything happen. And I can take care of myself." When she said this she flexed her hand and glanced down at it.

Howl rubbed a hand down his face before sighing in defeat. "I can never change you mind can I? Just stay in one piece and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"You once cried when you got your tongue stuck on one of the poles near the sleeping quarters."

"Yeah don't do that. I learned pretty quickly." Howl sighed as he turned, waving a hand over his shoulder before moving off in the direction of the Ferry's ramp.

Up near the ramp, Bolin grinned and gave them a thumbs up, before sticking his tongue out in concentration as he hefted a giant steamer trunk while also holding onto Naga's reins with his teeth, trying to coax her onto the ramp leading up to the ferry's deck. Sensha released a sigh as she and Asami followed him up, occasionally crying out in alarm every time he stumbled or nearly tripped.

"How about you, sweetie?"

Korra nodded in place of saying something in response, looking at her feet the whole time as her parents approached. In the corner of her eye she spotted Mako already moving along the pier towards the boat ramp, hands in pockets and completely silent. "Yeah, I won't need much stuff with me visiting the Southern Air Temple. It's all with Naga." She answered automatically.

"Well, uh. Good!" Senna smiled, a little worried at how down her daughter sounded. "Um, did something happen with-"

"Nope."

"That's good enough for us. Right, honey?" Tonraq placed a palm on his wife's shoulder as he leveled a apologetic look at her.

"Right!" Korra sighed, seeing the look of concern on both of them. She moved forwards, wrapping her arms around the two of them.

"I'll miss you." Her father placed a palm on her head, ruffling her hair and nodding.

"We'll miss you." Senna whispered, straining to stop her smile turning to tears instead. "We don't see you often enough."

Korra slowly and every bit reluctantly stepped from the two of them, giving a short nod to it being likely that she would choose to stay if she looked at them any longer. Taking a deep breath she turned and walked away, setting her sights on the ramp leading up to the ship, seeing Bolin waving his arm to her from the railing.

She waved back at him as she bypassed the ramp completely and kept going towards the end of the pier, where Tai stood watching the sun rise with Kaze by his side. He glanced at her, then up at the distant Mako before catching sight of a familiar boxy shape.

"Its not just because of your bending and the spirits that you're doing this, is it?"

Korra slowly nodded as Oogi came closer into focus.

Tai dropped his gaze after a few seconds with a sigh as he folded his arms, remembering the letter in his coat pocket and where it would be taking him.

* * *

土


	20. The Secrets of Wind and Earth

土

* * *

_Southern Air Temple, Nán Shuǐ Ocean._

The impossibly smooth stones making up the central spire high above him retained all of the warmth being directed to it by the sun, yet when he had passed by it and laid a hand on one of the thousands of stones making up its shape, which he found almost impossible to distinguish because of the near perfect masonry involved, it was absolutely cool and dry to the touch.

Coasting on the currents of warm air high above him, right around the top of the central spire were massive swarms of lemurs. Occasionally a few hundred of their number descended low enough for him to hear their combined chattering.

Tenzin's lesson about the legendary patience of the Air Nomads came to mind once the screeching fully assaulted his ears.

The Southern Air Temple had never ceased to amaze him since he had arrived just a few hours ago. He placed his hands on the wide and thick stone railing running the edge of the balcony, lost in the impossibly large mountains and bluffs surrounding the entire temple, dwarfing it immeasurably.

Behind him came whump as the a heavy book was shut, and he turned slightly to glance at Jinora as she approached, occasionally pulling a strained expression as her youngest brother gurgled happily in her arms while slapping her shoulders or blowing wind in her face.

He barely suppressed a grin at the unimpressed look on the little girl. "Now I know what mom feels like." she sighed, watching Rohan out of the corner of her eye as he gnawed happily on the corner of her book, deforming part of the flowing ink illustration making up the cover. She uttered a mollified squak and held the laughing baby away from the book, her face pale. "Rohan! Stop gnawing on grandpa Aang!"

The 1-and-a-half year old turned his attention towards her well-kept hair, grabbing fistfuls and tugging sharply. She yelped and jumped, rubbing the top of her head and looking at Rohan with a scowl.

"He's a handful." Tai smirked at the dark unimpressed look on the little girl, glad that his helpful observation did its job. He sniggered as she held the book up by the corner, her shoulders slumped.

He shook his head in amusement, turning his gaze back to watching as the sun's light started to spill over the snowy caps of the Patola mountains. A dark thought managed to worm its way in from a unknown source, reminding him that not even a day had passed since he was lost in the snow and fighting against his much stronger and much faster master. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the thought but it wouldn't budge, quickly painting a grey pall over everything and lessening his cheer.

"So what was the South Pole like? How many snowmen did you make? Did you see any polar-bear dogs? Oh- Did you go penguin sledding?" A very hyperactive voice asked him, its manic owner bouncing up and down with impossible amounts of energy, and most likely with that same cat grin that suited the kid incredibly well.

The innocent question came out of the blue for him, so unexpected and -and so _enthusiastic_, that it quickly destroyed the dark thoughts with a ray of sunshine and rainbows. Great, now he was beginning to think like her.

Luckily, any answers he had for her didn't need to be said when Kaze ambled past, slowly padding across the large balcony towards a small cliffside that had caught his attention.

Tai turned and noticed a small black and white creature standing its ground in front of the passage, chittering angrily as it held up small tiny fists and bounced from foot to foot. Kaze leaned in and growled menacingly at the little lemur's challenge, only to yelp when tiny blows rained upon his snout.

The big wimp of a spirit-wolf yelped and ran past the lemur and down into the passage, being followed closely by Ikki balancing on a air scooter as she chased him down.

He sighed, glancing at Jinora. "I should probably get after him, and bring your sister back too. Tenzin really should start paying me for this."

"For what?"

"Babysitting."

Jinora rolled her eyes in answer. "I'll go tell him." She said as she shifted her grip on Rohan and the book, so that her little brother could comfortably rest on her shoulder and not chew too much on her prized possession.

"Bye." He nodded as she turned and walked back towards the massive pair of doors going into the interior of the central spire. As the doors closed with a massive thud he carefully eyed the hot-tempered lemur still standing its ground ahead, finding something strangely familiar about it as he got close enough to pick out the color of its fur and wings.

The pip-sized figure of furry fury tilted its head as he approached, lowering its fists and letting its ears droop down and tail uncoil. It chittered excitedly as it lunged at his thigh, little hands gripping the dark fabric and letting it race up his body and come to a perch on his shoulder, staring at him with bright green eyes that instantly twigged his memory.

"Little guy!" He exclaimed, only for the lemur's little fist to slam into his cheek. He yelped in surprise. "What the-" As the lemur shook its fists and stomped on his shoulder, he was taken back to the Equalist takeover of Air Temple Island. He had completely forgotten about _him_. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" He hissed as more blows rained on his cheek and neck.

Slowly Little Guy stopped trying to wrap his tail around the base of the boy's neck, chittering warmly and nuzzling his cheek. Tai sighed with relief. "Glad we've come to a agreement. Want to help me find someone?"

Once again he was surprised when the lemur nodded and chittered.

Stowing away his suspicions at the lemur's constant displays of hyper-intelligence, he started making his way down the dirt path ahead, which made for a strange mix when he looked back at the immaculate stone pathway behind him and the seamlessly smooth polished stone floor of the balcony he just left.

He found it impossible to stop himself from looking at the rocky and jagged crags below, the tips and broken tops of boulders and rocks jutting out from the cliff-face only just visible as they reached out of the soupy fog that clung to most areas of the temple. He doubted that there would have been this much fog when the temple was livable, most likely the Air Nomads would have used their bending to control its spread.

If that was the case, he still wasn't sure how the Fire Nation could have possibly attacked the temple with such ferocity.

The interesting perspective of seeing sharp jutting rocks twisted into impossible shapes only nature could achieve lent caution to his movements. He reckoned he might actually develop a fear of heights if he continued looking into the fog-covered rocks and cliff-faces below.

Each time his foot touched down on a patch of gravelly dirt, the ground underneath shifted. Not drastically, but enough to make his heart leap up into his throat for a few moments.

He turned his thoughts towards Ikki and Kaze, instead focusing on the fact that if it weren't for those two tearing their way through the path then he probably wouldn't have any trouble at all.

The path followed the wall as it curved inwards towards the main structure of the temple, and his breath caught in his throat once he saw what was on the other side.

Ahead the path ended at a sheer drop, with a series of wooden poles, painted a bright cheery orange barely faded with age and engraved with incredibly detailed swirls and symbols curving around themselves, sat closely clustered in a roughly oval formation.

Bending forwards, he peered down to see that the pole's lengths continued into the soupy fog for a unknown distance.

As he straightened he noticed that the area of the temple sitting in front of the cluster of poles was structured in a different fashion then the other parts of the temple he had seen.

A massive U shaped chunk of the cliffside had been cut out, with the exposed rock a creamy white color and studded with strangely shaped openings at regular intervals. They ringed the perfectly flat ground in front of them, where he spotted Ikki chasing Kaze around.

If anything, it looked like one half of a old style arena.

The cluster of poles ahead looked thick and stout enough to hold his weight, lending to his suspicions that they were some kind of test for airbenders. Like the spinning gates back home.

Putting the number of times he had been batted around like a hackey sack by those _evil things_ to the back of his mind, he took a deep breath and made the first hop.

The old wood constantly made a lonely creaking sound as it swayed back and forth, steadily going into a gentle rhythm as he got his center of balance right.

He set his sights on the next pole, the one closest to his, and without thinking or factoring self-preservation into it leapt. Quickly he realized that he would fall short, whipping up his hands he blasted a stream of air to propel him a little further.

His feet landed with a soft thud on the flat stones, now getting why Bolin loved the ground so much. Strong and dependable, and not liable to sway heavily while being suspended above a hundred feet drop.

Too fast for him to react a little hand grabbed his and pulled him closer to the center of the strange half-dome. He stumbled the whole way as his legs tried to familiarise themselves with solid ground again but Ikki didn't seem to notice, looking around in awe at the strangely shaped structure.

She came to a sudden stop and dropped his hand, running towards one of the openings cut into the rock-face. "Help me find Kaze!" She beckoned impatiently for him to come over.

"Why, did he outrun you?"

Ikki frowned and folded her arms, nodding petulantly. "Yes! Find him for me!" She pointed into the opening, using as much commanding authority as a eight year old could.

He stared at her incredulously for a few seconds, wondering in the back of his mind why he ever let himself listen to her. He heaved a sigh and nodded, waving his hand dismissively as he walked past her. "Fine. He'll just outrun you again."

Tai rolled his eyes at the impossibly large grin Ikki directed up at him, moving into the narrow passage. It surprised him when the passage only ran for a scant couple of meters, quickly entering a large open space that bended away to both of his sides, it looked to him that the space extended through out the entire rock-face, following its curve closely.

He heard a bark and saw Kaze nearby, sniffing at a pile of old hay near the wall. He arched a eyebrow and moved to pat him, when the spirit-wolf zipped away and barked again, running towards a large slab of wall nearby, with its face detailed and engraved with some kind of image rather than being smooth and uniform like the rest.

Keeping his eyebrow arched he examined it, particularly the collection of engravings near the center of the slab that Kaze was sniffing curiously. The engravings themselves were impossibly smooth, no cracks or uneven impressions visible in the deep and uniform grooves making up the images. The images themselves were simplistic. They showed a group of bald men sitting side by side in a meditative pose, the air nomad arrow visible on their foreheads and their robes identifying them as Air Monks.

Flanking them on each side was a wolf drawn in a sitting position, nose tipped up as they howled. On their sides he spied spiral markings.

Looking over the rest of the engraved slab, he noticed that the top half was roughly sectioned off from the lower half and looked strangely smooth compared to it. As he looked closer he noticed a series of tiny scratches all covering its entirety.

Thinking about how strange that was, he turned and left for the narrow passage leading back outside with Kaze in tow.

Ikki's laughter reached his ears when he came out the other side blinking in the sunlight, seeing Tenzin standing there while she balanced on top of his shoulders with her tongue stuck out. "Master?"

Tenzin nodded his greetings while his face twitched with the strain of his second oldest pulling on his ears. "I -" he winced as Ikki tugged sharply before continuing. "I think I may have found something inside the Temple's library." He said quickly, in case Ikki tried something again. "Ikki." He smiled as he reached up to pluck her from his shoulders. "Can you find your sister and brother for me?"

Instantly she nodded and beamed, reaching forward and giving him a quick hug before snapping off a salute. "Okay, daddy!" She hopped down onto the ground, making propeller noises with her mouth and holding her arms out like wings as she hopped into the air and formed a air scooter to sit on, before zipping away through a nearby passage being chased by Kaze.

"So what is this 'something'?" Tai folded his arms.

"Possibly something that can tell us about the Spirits that attacked you and Korra."

* * *

A sigh lifted from Korra, resting her head on her arm as she looked out over the stone railing encircling another of the nearly infinite number of balconies and overlooks built throughout the Southern Air Temple.

Geez, a couple of hours and all she had done was wander around and mope to placed use to be Aang's home for crying out loud, she thought coming here would put her at ease and at least go some way to easing her burdens and help her forget about the threat of the Spirits and the harsh words Mako left her with. She rubbed her shoulder while looking down at the sea of fog clinging to the mountain the temple was built on top of.

"I kinda thought being at the Southern Air Temple would be exciting for you." Korra lifted her head and peered over her shoulder at Pema.

The mousy woman grinned in greeting as she drew closer, stopping next to her and resting against the railing.

"Hey, Pema." Korra tried to work up a smile, already knowing she had failed absolutely. "The temple is off the hook and absolutely breathtaking, but... I guess I'm just caught up in my thoughts. That's all."

"Uh huh." Pema said with a lopsided smirk, her arms crossed as she leaned on the railing. "So spill?"

Korra looked down and scratched at the stone. "Mako." she heaved a sigh. "Mako is what's wrong." Korra then released a bigger sigh and glanced at her. "Not _wrong_ wrong. He's not even the problem... I think I am."

"What? Korra, has he done anything or-"

"It's not what he's done, Pema." Mako's words rung endlessly in her thoughts. "Things got heated in the South Pole, and someone got hurt. Someone important to him." She knew that Bolin had dragged her and Tai out of that cave by himself and rode Naga away from there in the midst of a freezing blizzard. He risked his life for her. And it was her fault he did so in the first place.

"I'm not really the expert on rescuing friends and protecting others, a childhood friend of mine is much more qualified for that, but I think that was the only thing you could have done. I know you would never forgive yourself for leaving a friend in danger, and I know you would do everything possible to find a way to protect everyone." Pema released a pent-up sigh. "I'm not really good at this. What I'm trying to say is that it was the only thing to do at the time."

Korra lowered her head and closed her eyes, not really feeling any better like she expected to.

"As for Mako... you need to straighten things out with him. You want to do that, right?"

She narrowed her eyes. He seemed pretty deadset on blaming every single possible thing that could have gone wrong on her. And what right did he have to blast her for potentially endangering Bolin when he himself had just disappeared at the quickest opportunity to play detective?

Korra glanced at Pema with a unsure smile. "I suppose I do." she murmured. Her thoughts churned as she went away from the subject of Mako, instead turning them wholesale to Aang's words to her about the strange voice belonging to a Avatar she had never even heard of.

Echoing laughter and giggling echoed around the balcony, getting Pema's attention. Right after that came the sharp sound of something large and delicate being broken into thousands of little pieces, and Pema paled. "Oh boy. I'd better go head off the carnage!" she moved a couple of steps before stopping and glancing at Korra. "Will you be fine by yourself? Or do you want to come with me?"

"Actually..." her eyebrows furrowed as she rubbed her chin. "I think I need to do a little exploring of my own."

* * *

"Right... so what do you want me to do?"

Tenzin reached for a scroll, one of many studding the walls of the large and open chamber. He stopped and glanced at his student, who sat cross-legged in the middle of the chamber with his shirt on the floor nearby in a tangled pile.

Even from this distance Tenzin could spot the viscous black mark on his shoulder, standing out in sharp relief against his lightly colored skin. Suppressing the feelings of guilt that had surfaced in him ever since he had received word from his mother, especially after hearing about what happened to Korra, he brushed his beard thoughtfully.

"I just want you to meditate, to clear your mind and let your thoughts wander freely. From what I heard happened at the South Pole, you could use some of that." He deliberately chose not to mention Telei, even though all he wanted to do was to ask Tai about his encounter with the enigmatic man.

"Yeah." He heard the boy mutter to himself, before taking a deep breath and clapping his hands together.

Tenzin went to turn back to the multitudes of scrolls lining the wall in front of him, ready to start looking for anything that could give him a insight into the spirits that attacked Korra and dragged Tai into the spirit world when he heard the boy clear his throat. "So where's Korra gone to?"

"I've decided to let her explore on her own. This was my father's home once and as the Avatar she should see it for herself. Now please meditate."

The master airbender nodded to himself as he reached for another scroll, sliding it out of its slot to check the color of the seal containing its contents. It was a deep crimson color, made in the shape of the Fire Nation's national symbol. Grimacing he placed back in its place and secured himself on the ladder before flicking his hand to the side, using a brief pulse of wind to send the ladder sliding across the wall's face, stopping it once he came to another collection of scrolls.

His father had told him about this chamber many years ago, and had only taught him the method to open it when he had earned his arrows.

The group of scrolls in front of him all had a deep midnight blue seal on them, made in the Water Tribe symbol. He hovered over them, thinking that since the Water Tribes were and still _are_ a intrinsically spiritual people who hold deep reverence for the spirit world, then there could be a story or some kind of folk tale about spirits and the wounds they could inflict.

But another thought stopped him.

Blasting another pulse of air he held on as the ladder slid towards a section of the wall that was completely covered up by a wooden slide, with a apparatus made of brass tubes twisting around each other in dizzying ways sitting on it.

He checked on the boy. "Are you concentrating?"

"Mhm."

Tenzin nodded as he fed a trickle of air into a wide tube on the bottom of the apparatus, slowly increasing the pressure until the apparatus hummed, parts of it shifting and moving around. He was rewarded with a soft click as the wooden slide disappeared into a slot cut into the nearby wall, revealing one long shelf with five scrolls sitting next to one another, each of them thicker then the others in the library.

He grimaced when he grabbed the center scroll, carefully unfolding it and seeing the curled markings on its surface. Out of all the scrolls there, only this one may be able to give him a way to heal the strange wounds on Korra and Tai's shoulders.

Even then, it was a long shot.

Clearing his throat he used a stream of air to slow his passage as he landed on the polished floor, his shoes clicking against it as he walked towards the center of the chamber.

Tai cracked open a eye to peer up at him. "What's that?"

"It... might hold the key to getting rid of that scar on your shoulder." He answered, a little reluctant to give him too much hope only to find that what he held wasn't the answer.

The boy nodded to himself, and for a few seconds looked at the floor.

"Korra's too?"

"I think it might." Tenzin cleared his throat and sat on the floor, facing his student with the scroll in his lap. He picked it up in both hands, carefully unrolling it to reveal its contents. "What do you know about the old Air Nomads?"

He arched a eyebrow for a moment before letting it drop. "Not much beyond what anyone else does. Everyone was a airbender and they lived in four temples, each one lying close to a border with the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom and Southern and Northern Water Tribes. They spent their time meditating on their lives and striving for personal freedom, thinking it was the best way to fulfill life."

"Very good. I'm glad you've been paying attention to at least a few of my lessons." Tenzin smirked as the boy sighed. "But that's not quite how they lived." He leveled a serious look at his student. "Not many people nowadays may remember, but the Air Nomads were among the only people who regularly visited the Spirit World, often while meditating. The elders of the temples often had extended conversations with the spirits, sometimes not waking up for many days in the process. For them it would have only been a few minutes or a hour at most."

"Wait, only the Monks could do it. Why not anybody from the other nations?"

"They could as well in older times. The Fire Nation sages regularly took sojourns to converse with spirits such as Agni, the Shamans of the old Earth Kingdom would retreat to caverns where the badgermoles resided in order to meet with Oma and Shu. While the Water Tribe Chieftain's only needed to meditate at spiritual oases as the spirit of the Ocean and the spirit of the Moon, Tui and La, had taken physical form."

"But?"

"The Hundred Year War. Under Sozin, the Fire Nation silenced anyone who had the knowledge or ability to converse with spirits, primarily due to their fear that they could somehow find the Avatar in the spirit world. They didn't know that my father had been frozen in a iceberg, only that he hadn't been among the Air Nomads. They even managed to kill the Moon spirit. Which to princess Yue taking her place."

Tai scratched his head. "So, the Fire Nation thought that he may have retreated into the spirit world?"

"Exactly. But I'm getting off-track. The old Air Monks, the Fire Sages, the Water Tribe Chieftains and the Earth Shamans, they all came to be know as Spirit Walkers.

"Sounds ominous."

"Quite. I was hoping to find a record of one of them experiencing a injury inflicted by a spirit, but I'm afraid there aren't many records of Spirit Walkers that survived to this day."

The boy sighed and nodded. "So back to square one?"

"I'm sorry. When we get back to Republic City, I'll track down Zuko, he might have some knowledge that could help you and Korra."

Tai stood up and nodded. "Okay, I'll go tell her the news-"

"Honey, have you seen Meelo?" Tenzin blinked twice and peered over his student's shoulder, seeing his wife standing in the massive doorway to the chamber with a worried look on her.

"Uh, no, I have not. Is everything alright?" He stood up and went over to her.

"Its just, I didn't see him with Ikki and Jinora. What if he's lost somewhere in the temple?" Pema wrung her hands constantly and kept looking about the room, unable to keep still.

Tenzin stroked his beard thoughtfully, thinking of all the nooks and crannys he could be hiding in when the sound of Meelo's manic laughter stopped him. The three of them looked at each other and left the large chamber behind, moving out into the main hall of the temple and following the sound closer to its source.

"Daddy, look who I found!" Meelo sat on top of someone lying on the floor just in front of the main entrance, mumbling quietly under his breath. Tai noticed a strange curved sheath on his back, strapped on against a dark green travelling coat withwhat looked to be a covering of dirt brown rocks over his right hand.

He moved closer, wondering what the stranger was mumbling under his breath. A massive groaning noise startled him and he jumped, before realising it was just the guy's stomach. "Hungry... need... food."

* * *

Ever since setting her mind on exploring the Air Temple, Korra always had one recurring thought coming back to haunt her every time she ran into a dead end, or found yet another balcony.

This place was too damn big.

Sure, it was no trouble for the monks who used to live here, one simple gust and they would take a shortcut using their gliders, or whisk themselves through the airy corridors and courtyards on the back of a jetstream or air current.

She should have paid more attention to Tenzin's teachings on airbending technques.

Korra stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry, her posture slouched and eyes narrowed as she stomped around another bend and came to another dead end, with another oval-shaped window letting a cold breeze in from the foggy outside.

Her teeth chattered a little as the wind picked up, making her hug her bare shoulders and rub them vigorously as she loosed a impatient grunt and turn back around down the hallway she just came through. She grumbled and reached into her mind, trying to find Aang and actually get him to appear to her and be helpful by showing the way.

_That's not how it works, Korra. _Instead his voice sounded in her head with slight tints of amusement.

With a huff Korra continued stalking down the corridor, one side of it opened up to a view of the mountanside across a large chasm. She passed the columns supporting the roof, stopping at a t-junction and looking down both directions with a sigh. seeing that they looked the same.

"I'm lost, I'm lost, I'm lost, I'm so damn lost. Perfect." she muttered, picking a direction randomly and choosing the hallway going deeper into the temple. This was one of the worst ideas she ever had, how she was going to gain some kind of insight from stumbling blindly in this_ monk maze_.

And not only that Tenzin wasn't going to be happy that she was wasting her time at this place doing something like this-

Her foot caught on something, sending her pitching forward with a yelp as she flailed her arms. In her panicking she whipped her leg around accidentally loosed a short burst of air with her leg. She managed to get her balance back, watching as the deep hum of the projectile reverberated of the walls as it flew forwards, stealing the flames out of the torches on the braziers it passed by before slamming into a large and tall wall with a spiral carving on it with a deep echoing thud.

Korra's eyes widened as the multicolored bricks making up the carving sunk into the wall, starting from the outer edge of the spiral and working their way inwards until the circular plug at the center did as well.

She ran down the hallway and came to a stop in front of it as the segments making up the spiral slid into each other, pushing along and gradually revealing a pitch black tunnel before the entire wall shook and shuddered as it sank beneath the floor.

With a final grinding noise the tunnel stood open before.

"Huh."

She stared into it's depths, tossing up whether she should go in or not when. Wait, of course she should! If this was hidden behind a wall it had to lead somewhere important.

Steadying herself with a deep breath she went into the tunnel, immediately feeling a little too big when the walls around her had shrunken and there was barely enough space for her to stand shoulder to shoulder with the wall.

_You are going the right way, Korra._

She stopped in her tracks with a chill down her back. That was the voice again, and she didn't just hear in her thoughts, she heard it in the tunnel too. Korra thought about turning back for a moment before continuing forward, abandoning her thoughts and just focusing on following wherever this led too.

Korra had well and truly lost track of time after that.

It felt like hours had passed but the total darkness of the tunnel didn't reflect that. She rubbed her arm as she trudged forward, a small ball of flame in her hand now lighting up the immediate space around her and keeping her somewhat warm.

Maybe she should have taken her chances with the temple's hallways instead of going in here and-

She squeaked when her nose scrunched up against a completely solid surface, and the light from her flames danced on the wall in front of her. Korra's eyes widened as she went into a little bit of a panic, her own heavy breaths being all she could hear and her own terror in being trapped down here being all she could fell.

That was it. The tunnel was a dead end, only now she had to find her way back and-

_You are in the right place, Korra. Look inwards then upwards_.

The strange voice and its soothing tones allayed her panic a little, but not by much. Her breathing haggard and racing she closed her eyes to calm herself down, ignoring the all-constricting feel of being in the pitch black and trying to believe what the voice just said.

Surprisingly it worked a little bit, and she opened her eyes after exhaling and clasping her hands together. She blinked at the darkness for a few moments before doing what the voice instructed, closing her eyes again.

By inwards she definitely meant some kind of meditation, her thoughts raced around each other as she tried her best to concentrate despite the stifling confine of the tunnel, already finding great difficulty in-

Her eyes flew open and she looked upwards, sensing the large room above her.

It looked to be huge from what she could tell with her earthbending and going up there was a thousand times more preferably to staying in the tunnel by herself.

Without any further delay she punched her hand upwards, and covered her eyes as the tunnel roof grinded and shifted and shook, filling up the dark space with such a loud level of noise that she couldn't hear herself think.

The grinding picked up as she noticed the ceiling above her shifting and rearranging, the bricks resembling a spiral pattern for a moment before crunching upwards and creating a new tunnel that went straight up.

With a solid sounding boom her tunnel punched into open air, and she immediately climbed into it, keeping her eyes on the dim light at the top as she grabbed handhold after handhold, yelping in surprise a few times when a loose brick fell down towards her and scraped her shoulder.

With her hand reaching up and probing the other end of the tunnel, she took a deep breath and her pulled herself up, immediately finding herself coming out of the floor of a large and massive space.

Her heavy breaths echoed around the chamber as she got to her feet, wiping her hands on her pants and looking around in wonder at where she had ended up.

The first thing her catching attention was the army of statues occupying the majority of the floor, arranged in a spiral pattern.

* * *

The word that rang out the strongest in both Tenzin's and Tai's head, the word to describe witnessing such a traumatic event pass, to watch it in real-time and see every grotesque second of it, was _carnage_.

Bowls strewn everywhere, often stacked on plates three-high or lying facedown on the floor, discarded after their contents had been consumed so mind-bogglingly quickly. Pema and Jinora had stricken looks on them as they retreated from the room with as many as they could carry, neither of them having witnessed something like this before.

However both Ikki and Meelo sat cross-legged opposite the very happy looking stranger, laughing and giggling at all of the destruction he had just wrought.

"Aaah!" The stranger held a hand to his mouth to stop a satisfied burp, patting his stomach and grinning inanely as he finally placed the last bowl on the floor next to him. He bowed awkwardly from his cross-legged position, breathing a very satisfied sigh of relief. "Airbenders never disappoint on hospitality do they?"

"He;s got a ponytail!" Ikki giggled as she wrenched down on it, bringing water to the earthbender's eyes.

"Yes..." Tenzin stroked his beard as the strange young man blew his cheeks out and stuck his tongue out, to Ikki and Meelo's delight. They both giggled, mimicking him. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask your-"

"What's your name, guy?" Tai butted in, eyes narrowed in suspicion and his arms folded.

Tenzin threw a glance at him but didn't say anything.

The strange young man yawned and stretched. "Ling Yao. Hailing from the sweet polluted confines of Ba Sing Se. At your service. Ow, that hurts!" He made a series of distressed yelps as Meelo tugged on his ponytail as much as he could.

"The Yao family?" Tenzin repeated in utter surprise, he stroked his beard and looked at the floor for a few moments.

"Master?" Tai groaned when he didn't respond. He looked down at Ling. "Why were you near the temple?"

"I was running from a few...well, let's call them bad eggs, how about that?" Ling grinned up at him.

Tai grunted in response, still every bit as suspicious of him. _Especially_ once he spotted the rock-glove he wore.

"So what's this do?" Ikki poked the rocks covering his right hand, flicking a few of them and sticking her tongue out as she tried to pry a few off.

"Oh, I wouldn't touch that, little girl. That just helps me earthbend. That's all." When he said this his eyes narrowed and his grin dropped in a instant, fixating towards a unknown spot behind Tai, then quickly flitting back as the grin resurfaced. "Tell you what, little girl. I'll let you play with my glove if you chase your brother into the next room, how about that?" He patted Ikki's head as he leaned in close to whisper, "And shut the door, so you can catch him quicker."

Tenzin went to open his mouth in protest with a look of worry when he spotted the steely look in Ling's eyes as he focused on a point in the room past either him or Tai.

"Okay!" Ikki beamed and generated a air-scooter underneath her, bowling Meelo off his feet. The little boy recovered immediately, running into the nearby room. Ikki giggled as she raced into the room after him, pulling the doors shut behind her with a gust of wind.

The resulting boom resounded throughout the massive hall and nothing but silence followed.

Ling stood up and flexed his hand underneath the rock glove, moving forward a few steps.

"Your compassion for children drags you down, agent."

Tai's eyes went wide as he froze. That voice, he'd heard it before. "Ah, hello, young man." Green eyes, normally of the color that usually sparkles or shows incredible vibrance, fixed on him. They were dark, they were cold... they were just _there_.

"I figured you wouldn't be thrown off that easily." Ling replied with a cool and even tone, but one that held a unshakeable iron edge to it. Even his brown eyes had changed, narrowed into threatening slits where before they simply looked silly and a little shifty. "But I did expect even you to have just a _little _reverence for the past."

"Earth is earth, agent. No matter what form it comes in."

"Who are you!?" Tenzin splayed his palms, aiming both at the bald man.

"Councilman Tenzin. And his volatile student. Allow me to introduce myself." He reached into a pocket on his sage-colored traveling coat, pulling on a simply black glove with solid metal ring acting as the cuff. Tai noticed that he didn't have a glove for his other hand, instead just a blackened leather bracer, with a needle thin length of what looked to be crystal mounted on a strange contraption strapped to the bottom of the bracer.

All in all this cut for a sinister figure, he snapped his fingers and dark shapes dropped from the ceiling, wearing dark wide brimmed hats and rock-covered gloves on both hands.

Three each stood on either side of him as he opened his palm and held it straight. A line of smooth gray stones shifted and slithered from within the thick metal cuff, melting over his hand until they fully covered it. "Director Kao. The Dai Li sends its regards."

* * *

The total dead silence in here got to her a little.

She slowly moved among the statues, each and every one of them depicting a unique person from their clothes or armor right down to their own face. Whoever made these things and left them here was impossibly skilled.

Korra admitted to feeling a slight chilling sensation whenever she passed close enough to one of them, particularly when she saw their featureless eyes up close and felt something strange flutter in her. She even passed a few statues depicting people wearing furs or helmets styled from both water tribes, at some point going past a mightily built depiction of a heavily muscled man, his arms completely bare with a whalebone sword clutched in his grip, his shoulders covered by a absolutely voluminous fur cloak that went right down to the backs of his feet, while he wore the proud visage of a snarling direwolf.

He looked ferocious. And old.

She continued, drawing closer to the center of the room, passing statues of people from the Fire Nation in ornate armor, simple robes or shirtless apart from metal bands on their wrists, Earth Kingdom men and women, one of them wearing what had to be impossibly heavy crystal armor and could only have been done with earthbending.

There were also depictions of the Air Nomads, all of the sporting a arrow on their forehead and their arms and legs.

When she reached the center of the room, a lowered dais of rock she stopped in her tracks when she noticed a circular socket in the floor closest to the center. Next to it was the statue of a old Fire Nation man with wizened features and wearing simple robes, his bearing proud as his hair tumbled over and behind his shoulders.

"Roku?" she whispered, stopping in front of him for a moment before glancing at the empty socket in the floor next to him. She stared at the base of Roku's statue, working out that it would seamlessly fit into the socket with no trouble at all. "And that one must be where Aang's would go."

Just as she said this, Aang spoke in her thoughts. _Uh, mine's big enough. I'm fine with it_.

Korra shook her head at the chuckling voice and backtracked along the statues, seeing the sharp and beautiful features of Avatar Kyoshi next to Roku, and after her the large statue of a man from the water tribe, the laugh lines around his eyes clearly standing out with the easy expression he beared. She scowled at the sight of the polar-bear dog hood he wore, definitely knowing for sure that it was Kuruk. Out of the Avatars she knew, she was so not a fan of him. After him came his contrast, the more plain features of a Air Bender woman looked back at her, the arrow on her forehead prominent. "Yangchen."

With a start she realized that all of the statues. All of them were past Avatars. Her past _lives_. Korra had a little smile on her as she jogged back along the statues, passing the big guy with the sword and wondering how she- sorry, him - could have ever lifted that thing and not break a sweat at all. She continued, following them closer and closer to the perimeter of the room where the beginnings of a ramp cut out of the wall started to wind up, even more statues lining it all the way as it spiraled to the top.

She came to a skidding halt in front of the Avatar statue just before the ramp and grimaced. It may have been just her, but the general detail of the statue seemed cruder, less defined than the ones she saw before.

As she ran up the ramp, her feet echoing across the chamber, passing statue after statue after statue, she noticed a steady decline in how they looked, with their clothes beginning to appear more uniform and smooth, and faces slightly less detailed with each one. It took her a few minutes until she reached the end of the ramp at the top, her hands on her knees as she stopped to get some breath back.

Korra wiped her brow and looked up, feeling a sense of disquiet at the single statue standing on its lonesome on the platform before her. A single ray of light came down from a perfectly circular hole in the ceiling, putting its lack of any feature at all into sharp relief.

The face had no detail, no eyes, no facial lines, no nothing apart from a thin slit for the mouth and a bump for the nose. The rest of the statue boasted no impressive clothes or weapons, holding nothing and resembling only the basic profile of what a person looked like.

A blank slate.

The unknown voice returned to her. _You have found me-_

A crashing boom shook the chamber, and rock grinded against rock as something heavy and thick was being forced by a powerful force. Voices floated up to her along with plumes of dust, making her cough a little. "-not with the airbenders, so she must be in here. Find the Avatar!"

* * *

Tenzin split his focus on the closest of the Dai Li, keeping his hands at the ready and casting a worried eye over at Tai and the strange earthbender.

The Dai Li agents on either side of him gradually closed in, their hands raised when the hall shuddered as the floor underneath their shook and rumbled and threw them to the front section of the hall before large strip of flooring shot upwards, crashing into the ceiling with a resounding crack.

Motes of dust caked on Tai's shoulders as he glanced at Ling, who dropped his hands and wiped his brow. "I apologize for putting your family in danger, councilman. I'll distract them while you see to their safety." Tenzin grimaced and gave a nod to him, before turning and heading into the library room, disappearing from the hall.

"He called you agent-" Tai started, drawing his sword when Ling nodded.

"There really isn't much time for a explanation right now is there? You take me to Republic City and I promise I'll tell you everything, how about that?" Ling smirked as he drew one of the thick curved swords from his back.

"Don't really have much choice, do we?" Tai muttered. He looked over at Tenzin. "I'll grab Ikki and Meelo."

Tenzin nodded, turning and running down the main hall as quickly as possible until he turned into a side passage and disappeared from sight.

"You know, I don't trust you. At all." Tai glanced at Ling, who grinned.

"People say its the eyes."

He groaned as he drew his sword and moved towards the room Ikki and Meelo disappeared into, coming to the pair of double doors that admitted entry. He grabbed one of the knockers and pulled for several seconds, quickly running out of breath when the door didn't budge.

Breathing heavily and feeling a little sweat run down his neck he let go of the door and stepped back from it. He pressed his ear up against the thick wood, feeling a shiver down his spine as no sound of any kind reached his ear.

His mind going into overdrive, he gathered a ball-sized mass of air in his palm and without wasting any time slammed it against the door's surface. The rapidly spinning mass made the wood squeal as it grounded in further and further until stopping suddenly, sending a jarring shock up his arm and setting his teeth on edge.

Quickly finding anger taking over, he released the sphere explosively. The crushing strength of the wind sent several cracks through the length of the door and shook several large splinters free, but still the door wouldn't open.

Without thinking of it, a mass of wildly raging fire sparked to life above his palm before being contained by a thick skin of pressurised air. He gritted his teeth and slammed it against the weakened wood, easily breaking through and shattering the entire door to pieces.

"Huh." He heard Ling mutter behind him as he kicked the door open and headed through, running full pelt towards the center of the chamber where Ikki and Meelo kicked and screamed, two Dai Li agents trying to pin Meelo down as he clambered all over them blasting streams of wind into their faces, while the other two held Ikki up by the hem of her mantle. She kicked at the other agent as he tried to place a pair of earthen gloves over her hands.

"Get away from them!"

He tackled the Agent trying to fit the cuffs on Ikki to the ground, pinning him down with his knees as he loosed a quick punch of air at one of the other one, aiming it at his arm so that he dropped Ikki to the ground, allowing the little girl to gather a ball of air in her hand and blast it against his groin. The young man screamed as the mass of air sent him slamming into a nearby wall, luckily falling unconscious instantly.

Tai turned with his sword at the ready, but Meelo didn't even need his help with the other two. "Take that!" The boy yelled, tripping one over with a air scooter and sneezing a high velocity stream of wind at another, pushing him across the floor and out into the main hallway.

"Are either of you hurt?" The two of them shook their heads and he nodded, sheathing his sword. "Good, let's go." He scooped up the two of them and ran towards the end of the room towards the windows looking on the mountains outside. He kicked the door open, running out on the balcony just as Oogi swept down from the sky and landed nearby with a thunderous thud.

Without skipping a beat he ran forward, putting them down near the bison's side. Jinora held Rohan over her shoulder while she helped pull up her younger sister and brother. Tai went to follow them onto Oogi's saddle when he turned and looked at the open doors, hearing crashes and yells coming from the main hallway.

Repeating how bad of a idea this was in his head over and over he started moving towards the room.

"Wait, where are you going?" Pema shouted from the saddle as she held Rohan in her arms.

"Got one more passenger to grab! And I still need to find Korra!"

* * *

"Search everywhere! Knock down the statues if you have to!"

Korra peered over the edge of the platform, catching glimpse of a group of dark-clothed figures moving into the room, approaching the field of statues in a staggered line. They all met at the middle, exchanging words before spreading out in different directions, with one of them clambering up the wall of the chamber like it was nothing.

He scuttled up at a speed telling her he was eartbending, pushing her to form some kind of plan to make it out of the room. She stared at her hands, knowing she could easily take him in a fight and knock him out before-

The sound of grinding rock made her peer over the edge again, she swung her head lower to peer under the platform at the other wall, seeing another earthbender clambering up it.

She had to move. Korra crept back from the edge of the platform, looking at the ramp as a means for escape. Slowly she made her way to it, treading carefully to not make a echo. She glanced back at the featureless statue, promising to find more out about it at a later point.

Keeping low she kept close to the line of statues, sticking behind them as much as possible while keeping a eye on the earthbenders climbing up the walls. So far she managed to keep out of sight, but her hand scraped against the sharp edge of one of the statues. She quickly bit down her yelp when she heard scraping noises nearby.

A wide dark green hat appeared first, followed by a young face with pale skin as one of the earthbenders came into sight, stopping for a moment to survey the statues.

Korra quickly ducked around the other side of the widest statue she could find, horrendously aware of how exposed she was to the earthbender on the other wall. They would spot her in a instant.

To her bad luck the earthbender springed off the wall and landed on the ramp with a thud, staring straight at the statue she hid behind, her back pressed against it. "What a fatass." he muttered, turning away for a moment and giving her a chance.

She snaked her arm through the gap between the fat statue and the next, snatching his hand and wrenching his arm through the gap. He went to yelp before she reached for the back of his head and slammed him facefirst into the thick stone. The young man's eyes rolled back as she let him drop to the floor.

Luckily his buddy didn't seem to notice the commotion. She quickly continued on, making her way down the ramp at a much quicker pace until she caught sight of the bottom. She grimaced at the sight of the dark clothed earthbenders standing among the statues, making it impossible for her to make it to her little tunnel and escape the room.

She heard muffled thumps as someone airbent somewhere beyond the room. "The Director will take care of them soon enough."

Her blood froze a little. The kids were out there. And so was Pema and Rohan. She had no idea if Tai and Tenzin were with them she needed to something!

Korra waited until none of the men were looking at the large door before she lowered herself over the ramp's edge and let go, dropping through the air and landing with a grunt on the edge of the room.

Putting a hand to her lips she whistled loudly and sharply, getting the closest earthbender's attention before kicking a stream of flame at him. It coiled and hissed as it slammed into his belly, dropping him with a cry.

The others shouted in alarm, one of them breaking off and flinging his hands at the nearby wall before lunging and disappearing into the stone like it was nothing.

Korra slammed her fist down, creating a wave of rumbling and shaking rocks that expanded outwards, shaking the statues a little while knocking a few of the eartbenders off-balance.

A rockfist slammed into her shoulder, spinning her around and leaving a bruise as she grunted and punched a gust of air at the culprit. He ducked and launched his fist again, sending her reeling as it hit her hip. She hissed and launched a great sweep of fire at his approaching comrades, catching one of them off-guard and throwing him into a nearby wall.

She looked up just in time to see another of them dropping through the air with a nasty-looking flail in their hands, her eye widened as she danced backwards to avoid the heavy metal head and the spikes. The man landed in front of her and lashed a kick upwards, catching her in the cheek before she grabbed him and returned the favor twicefold, he grunted once and dropped to the floor, leaving only a few of them still standing.

Korra growled and turned her back on them, sweeping her arms at the gigantic wooden doors and calling forth a great stream of wind and fire, the mass slammed into the thick wood, burning and scorching and peeling off entire layers of its surface but the door would not budge. She slammed her hands together and pushed them forwards, calling a great finger of stone out of the floor to pulverize the ancient and strong wood.

The door groaned and buckled, breaking apart into several thick slabs and falling to the ground with booming thuds. She saw a simple hallway on the other side, catching sight of Tai as he ran further into the tunnel, a look of shock on his face.

She took off at a sprint, nearing the broken remains of the wooden door as she shouted at him. "Tai!"

He had a relieved look on him for a few seconds, until he cried in alarm. "Korra, behi-" the floor shuddered and the chamber rumbled as great section of the floor slammed upwards into the roof of the entrance, completely closing the room off and trapping her in there.

She gasped as something heavy slammed into her wrists, grunting as she slammed into the newly made wall facefirst. She struggled but something was keeping her there, her cheek was scrunched up against the stone as she glanced down at the circles of stone around her arms and legs, pinning her against the wall.

Behind her, where she couldn't see, they began to approach.

* * *

Tai skidded to a halt, yelping in surprise as a Dai Li stepped out from behind the wall and swung his fists towards him. He ducked under the blow just in time, gathering a pillow of air in his palms and pushing up into the man's exposed chest and sending him flying across the wrecked hall with a grunt.

He spotted Ling nearby, his chest heaving as he wiped his brow and took a deep breath after just knocking out another Agent, who pitched forward and dropped to the ground along with the rest of his squad. The earthbender threw a tired smirk at Tai. "Thought you would have left by now." He said in between tired breaths.

"I don't trust you but that doesn't mean I break a promise. My master's waiting nearby, we just need to-" Tai's words dropped away at the sight of the Dai Li Director casually striding through the solid rock wall separating them from the entrance like it was just liquid, coming to a stop and pointing his grey gauntlet at Ling.

The strange earthbender grunted as a cube of rock slammed into his chest, sending him tumbling down towards the end of the main hallway where a massive brown door, with a massive series of brass tubes and pipes on its, sat.

The wall broke apart, shattering into many pieces and falling to the floor, allowing the Dai Li left standing to stream through and take up positions on either side of their leader, rock gloves aimed at him.

For once Tai ran in the other direction, rockfists flying through the air on either side of him, a few nearly connecting if he didn't strike them with the flat of his sword. Ahead of them the hall narrowed into a smaller tunnel, running straight as a arrow before ending at what used to be a gigantic wooden door, now a twisted pile with air whistling in and out of the broken brass pipes and valves.

"Tai!" In the gloom of the incredibly dark space the tunnel stopped at, he caught sight of Korra running through the gloom, before quickly twisting around and kicking a few flames behind her before nearing the broken remains of the door from the other side.

He saw more Dai Li in the shadows behind her and quickly called out. "Korra, behind-" the breath flew out of him as something small and solid punched into his back, tearing a choking gasp from him and sending him sprawling to the floor. Gasping for air he lifted his head, gritting his teeth and looking up to see Korra drawing closer and closer, about to leap over the broken remains out of the room when the entire tunnel shuddered and shook, and a wall of sheer seamless rock rose upwards, cutting her off from him.

He heard a muffled grunt as a few flames were released, and then nothing. Tai ignored his muscles and fought to his feet, turning around to face the bald man standing at the start of the tunnel.

Kao beckoned as he moved backwards back into the hall.

Not waiting for anything, Tai fueled fury into his flames as he unleashed kick after kick. He would not let her get taken _again_.

The man didn't even flinch as some of the flames tickled his ears, merely standing there as the meddler went into a full-on sprint, his sword extended and a ball of pressurized wind in his other hand.

His suspicions about the boy had proven true then, seeing his flames and wind first-hand only being a bonus.

Although procedure was to detain subjects without harming them, he found that sometimes such a action was simply unavoidable with a few of the more volatile ones. He felt the slightest flicker of joy, feeling the smooth surface of the crystal sliding against the leather as it slowly extended past his hand.

Tai didn't notice the subtle movement, only growling as flames began licking the blade of his sword and the mass of air in his palm spun impossibly fast and threw off huge amounts of noise-

He caught a flash of green rushing up from the bottom of his vision, dimly realizing he was moving too fast to anything about it-

Wind tickled his ears and snuffed out the flames coming from his sword, Tenzin appeared from the library, snapping off a short kick of precise wind that sent the Dai Li Director sliding across the floor back towards the entrance of the temple.

The Dai Li on either side of him advanced, ripping chunks of flooring up and adopting grounded stances as they prepared to unleash a onslaught of earthbending on Tenzin, when a series of fist-shaped rocks spun through the air and caught them off-guard, also sending them crashing to the ground or flying into the air.

With confusion among the Dai Li taking hold, Tenzin grabbed Tai's hand and led him back towards the side-chamber and the balcony where Oogi stood, Ling clutching onto his side and following him out.

The master airbender wasted no time in making it across the wrecked room and out to the balcony, slinging Tai over his shoulder as he used a stream of air to get airborne and onto Oogi's saddle.

Pema gingerly grabbed the boy and propped him up against the side of the saddle while Tenzin reached a hand down for Ling, who grabbed on and tumbled into the saddle, right into a prime position that allowed Kaze to lick the living daylights out of him.

Tenzin urged Oogi into the air just as Dai Li agents spilled out onto the balcony while their director calmly made his way out of the main hallway a distance behind them, brushing dust from his clothes before clasping his hands behind his back and watching as they sped away from the temple.

Kao watched as the bison quickly disappeared into the mid-afternoon sky, a agent limped up to him and saluted. "Sir, we have a team inside the Avatar chamber, what about the airbenders-"

"We wait, Agent. We wait." While the Avatar was a primary objective, that boy could also serve as a suitable replacement. He leveled a look at his subordinate. " Ground that Sky Bison and bring the Avatar to me."

* * *

Oogi moaned in fear and banked to avoid a rock missile flinged from one of the balconies of the temple. Tenzin wrenched the reins upwards to force him to climb, trying to get him out of their range.

"Honey, Korra's still down there!" Pema shouted behind him, clutching onto Rohan and keeping the kids close.

"The Avatar?" Ling weakly muttered, clutching his side and sitting up. "She's trapped with the Director?"

Tenzin nodded grimly, focusing on keeping Oogi calm. The bison suddenly roared in pain and bucked, shaking them around in the saddle as something slammed into his belly. "Oogi!" Tenzin fought to keep him from panicking, having a hard time of it when he spotted a series of missiles hurtling towards him out of the fog ahead.

His eyes widened.

Tai narrowed his eyes and stood up, unleashing kicks of flame and slices of air at the missiles. They broke and sliced apart in mid-air, falling around them as a shower of earthy clumps and pieces of stone.

Tenzin glanced at Tai and nodded, before turning back to Oogi and focusing on keeping him flying straight. "Daddy, what about Korra?" Jinora asked with a fearful voice.

"I can't land anywhere, there's nothing I can-"

"I'll go get her."

He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. "Absolutely not, Tai. Once you go down there, we won't be able to land and pick you up. Not with the Dai Li around!"

"So I'll find her and we'll meet you someplace else, Tenzin-"

Tenzin noticed one of the outlying towers below and urged Oogi towards it, placing it between them and the main temple where the Dai Li waited. He stopped Oogi and twisted to level a stern look at Tai. "This isn't up for discussion, I'm not letting you go and get yourself killed by those men-"

"Wait. I think I see her! Its Korra!" Ikki leaned over the lip of the saddle, pointing towards the arched stone bridge on the other wall of the tower, connecting it to the rest of the temple across a yawning gap filled with fog.

Tenzin guided Oogi closer, catching a sight of her running onto the bridge as fast as she could, dodging and ducking against a barrage of projectiles. "Yip yip." he snapped the reins and Oogi grumbled in response, swooping down and bringing them closer to the bridge.

"Korra!" Tenzin cupped his hands and called out to her, hoping she could hear them. She skidded to a halt at the middle of the bridge.

He guided Oogi forwards, stopping him a distance from the bridge's side to keep it between them and the Dai Li. "You have to jump!"

He got a shocked yell in response from her. The Avatar obviously had no time to argue as the Dai Li filed out onto the bridge, their leader in tow. She pumped her arms, and Tenzin's heart leapt in his chest as she sailed out into the open air, arms windmilling before she began to drop like a stone.

Tenzin cursed as Oogi shot forwards, rumbling as Korra landed with a grunt on the edge of the saddle. "Oof!"

Tai pulled her over as Tenzin snapped the reins, urging Oogi in the opposite direction of the Southern Air Temple.

As Oogi climbed to fly over the mountains surrounding the complex, he heard Korra's heavy breaths came out ragged and fast as she asked a single question. "Who's the ponytail guy?"

* * *

土


	21. New Problems, Changing Ties

土

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

Korra rounded the hallway's corner, her hands crossed behind her head. She didn't realise how much she had kind of missed the island, and Republic City. In fact she missed it so much that she didn't even care that it was early morning and the sun was only just starting to cast its light over the foggy and cold sky.

She heaved a content breath walking down the sun-lit corridor, her thoughts turning over and over about the huge chamber she found herself in while at the Southern Air Temple, with a impossible to guess amount of statues inside, all of them depicting her past lives from the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom and Air Nomads.

Ever since she had gotten back to Republic City, she had been constantly trying to contact Aang to ask him about the statue at the top of the room or to at least find out from him how to find someone who knew about it better than he did.

But since being forced out of the temple by those weird earthbenders, he hadn't so much as said a peep. Maybe she just needed to meditate in order to talk to him?

She stopped in front of the simple sliding door to Tenzin's personal study, at least knowing that he should know about what she saw.

Clearing her throat she rapped her knuckles on the thin paper carefully, before sliding it open and heading in to see Tai sitting on one of the wooden sofas nearby, while Tenzin and Lin stood near his big mahogany desk. The one that he practically cherished above life itself.

Korra grinned down at Tai, coming over and standing in front of him. "Hey you." she noticed the letter in his hands and how he stared at it. "What's the news?"

"Korra?-" Tai quickly shoved his brother's letter up his sleeve, scratching the back of his head with a off-balance smile. "-Uh, that. That was nothing. Just a letter... from someone who used to live in my village." his eyes slid to the left a little as he fought the urge to gulp before looking back at her. "Since when did you surface before the birds did?"

"Since today."

"Korra. I must say I'm surprised to see you up as well. It must be quite a occasion." Tenzin spoke from the other side of the room, moving around the side of the desk while throwing glances at the steaming cup of tea standing on the desk corner, just waiting for him to savor it.

"It is... sort of a occasion. I wanted to tell you about something I found while we were at the Southern Air Temple?"

"Tenzin was just finished explaining to me what happened and how you all got away." Lin remarked. "What did you find there?"

"I found a chamber full of all these statues, some of them I recognised. They were Avatars."

"You found the central chamber? Was my father there? Did he speak to you about the spirits-"

Korra nodded after a pause. "In a way." she found herself sharing a glance with Tai, sure he was thinking about the spirits too. "When I was fighting the spirits while in the South Pole, I looked to him for guidance but instead someone else was there. Someone he had never heard of before. She must have been a Avatar though or I wouldn't have heard her. She helped me against the spirits."

"Yes, mother told me about what you encountered. It's quite disturbing." Tenzin stroked his beard and leaned against the table, getting a roll of the eyes from Lin.

"It's been years since a recorded sighting of any of the spirits. Why are they appearing now? Just to attack Korra?"

"It wasn't her they were after. I think we intruded on their territory or something. They never went far from that cave we went into." Tai stood up from the sofa and moved closer, his hands in his pockets. "And I was only out there because of my own recklessness."

"Yes." Tenzin's tone grew reproachful. "We'll discuss that later. Korra, I'm interested in what you found while in the central chamber."

"I..." Korra scratched the side of her nose and shrugged. "Not much at all. Just a couple hundred statues with creepy eyes. I kinda thought I'd look for the statue of the Avatar who helped me before. But then those weird earthbenders came barging in."

Lin placed her hands on Tenzin's desk and leaned over it, staring at a spot in the wall near Korra and Tai. "Those 'weird' earthbenders are known as the Dai Li."

"What? They're ancient history, right? Your mother helped Aang stop them from controlling the Earth Kingdom, and after that they just went away."

"Looked pretty real to me." Tai murmured, remembering the dozen or so bruises from weathering the rock-fists they used as weapons.

"Well now they're back. And I want to know why." Lin clenched her hand into a fist, shooting the steaming cup of tea near her hand a look and drinking it in a single gulp. Tenzin made a uncharacteristic whimper. She glanced at him and chuckled.

Tai turned to Korra. "I think they were after you, they could have followed us back to Republic City-"

Something knocked against the sliding door, interrupting him. Tai grumbled and glanced at it, tilting his head at the shadow on the other side. "That's probably our guest."

"That guy we rescued? Who is he-"

The sliding door slid open and Ling popped up from the floor with a smile and his hand raise. "Hello!"

Korra blinked twice as he stepped into the room, looking around with a easy grin. "I just wanted to thank you guys for letting me stay on the island. It's the least I can do after you saved my life."

Tai muttered something and stood up. "Yeah. Great. What did you want?"

Ling paid him no mind, moving towards where Korra stood and offering a sweeping bow before her. "And you must be the Avatar! A pleasure to meet you. My name is Ling Yao of the Yao dynasty."

"Dynasty?" That raised a few questions in his mind but Korra hadn't heard, instead shaking his hand and smiling.

"Pleased to meet you. Call me Korra, Ling." she caught sight of someone standing in the doorway and peered over his shoulder, raising her eyebrow and wondering who the Council Page was here for. "Uh, can you excuse me, Ling?"

"Avatar Korra- I, hey!" The Page yelped and screeched as Tenzin windmilled his arms, using a stream of wind to snatch the small man closer until he towered over him. "C-councilman, why did you-"

"Under any circumstances, you must not tell anyone that Korra is back in Republic City. Do you understand?"

The Council Page shuddered, using his black folder as a shield to hide behind. "Y-yes, of course, councilman!"

Tenzin went back to his usual height and dusted his cloak, inclining his head. "You have my thanks. You may leave now."

The small man squeaked and ran out of the room, not even giving Korra a second glance.

Ling whistled in the silence that followed. "That wasn't very becoming of a Monk, councilman."

"Tenzin, what the hell?" Lin threw a askew look at him along with a glare.

"That was strange." Tai muttered.

Korra arched a eyebrow at his strange behavior. "Tenzin, what was that all about?"

"The Dai Li can not know that you are in Republic City. That means no going out, no stepping one foot out in the streets until the summit begins."

"But, wouldn't they think to look here first?"

"I was getting to that, Lin. Korra, Asami has offered to you let you stay at the estate for a couple of days, correct?"

She shared a glance with Tai before nodding. "Yeah." A small smile appeared on her lips. "She's got a nice pool. And I've always been meaning to come over and-"

"Excellent. Then it is decided. I'll give her a call."

* * *

_22nd Floor, Tai Sho Tower, Republic City_

Tap. Tap. Tap.

It was all her ears registered, the only recognisable sound in the room that sounded unique and different than the general quiet _buzzing _of indistinct voices. She rubbed some more sleep from her eyes after listening to report after report, or statistic after statistic, knowing that

None of that mattered after the series of hammer blows she had just received one after the other.

"Ms Sato? Are you paying attention?" One of them managed to form distinct words, sharp and biting words, but words nonetheless.

She blinked twice and found she had been lost in the graceful swirls and flowing lines engraved in the surface of the long desk, forming shallow lines with a light layering of crimson paint, which against the grey coloring of the ironwood table made for a striking yet simple appearance.

The engravings themselves were contained within a rectangular border of sorts that covered most of the table except its outer edges, where small black blocks with the symbol of a half-gear in gold leaf stood.

In front of her was a block similar to the others, only this one had a full gear. She had never actually seen this desk until a few months ago, thinking of it as a goal to aspire to. But now that she was seated at its head…. It just felt like a _burden_.

Asami blinked again, dumbly realizing she was about to get lost again.

"Hey. Boss?" She quickly adopted a smile and sat up straight, her fingers laced together. She looked at Verick as he quickly suppressed a yawn. "We can take five, if you need-"

"No I'm-" Her smile just grew, even though she had nothing behind it. "- Just, collecting my wits." She assured him, throwing occasional glances at the two out of place people seated at the other end of the table.

"Which, I'm afraid will have to wait. Ms Sato, do you understand the consequences of the _Moonflow's _disappearance? The United Forces will not be pleased." She nodded in time with his words, still trying her best to stare at the engravings on the table rather than focus on the million or so problems that come with saving a world-reviled company. "Our deal with them will be in jeopardy if they can't trust us to protect our assets."

"Not only that-" She glanced up, looking at one of the most withered old men currently sitting at the table near the end. "But, there is no way that we can recuperate our investment that was aboard that freighter."

"I know, Bao. We'll figure something out-" Asami started when another member sitting at the table, a heavyset man wearing masterfully tailored clothes that were a size too small for him smacked a palm down on the table, getting her attention and irritation.

She glanced up at Iroh as he stood next to her, hands clasped behind his back and posture impeccable. But a scowl was very clear on his features.

"Ms Sato, we need a solution beyond _twiddling our thumbs!_"

Asami heard the leather in Iroh's glove squeezing together as he clenched a fist. "Mr Tugi, please allow Ms Sato to explain-"

Mr Tugi went red-faced as he stabbed a chubby finger through the air at the young General. "You _are a liaison, _nothing more! You're only here because of your incompetence and inexperience, _boy_. I am a senior executive, you don't tell me what to-"

Verick's sigh could barely be heard as the boardroom descended into a cacophony of conflicting voices, some trying to reason while others just tried to outshout each other. Among this, she saw a fiery glint in Iroh's eyes and realized she had to do something before this got way out of hand.

"Enough!" She had raised her voice just enough that she could be heard throughout the room, and adopted a tone that she had heard coming from her mother whenever she broke a expensive pot or scraped her knee while driving her soapbox car.

Incredibly, the myriad of voices heard her and slowly began to simmer down. Bao kept muttering things under his breath as he stared at Mr Tugi, whose face resembled the red Oni masks favored by the Ember Island players.

"I know the company is going through rough times right now and likely will for the foreseeable _future_. But the deals with Tui Industries and the United Forces are vital lifelines that the company needs. We can't sit here and argue about problems we can't fix!" She found herself digging her fingers into the surface of the wood a little, quickly she relaxed them and sat back down as the gathered heads of the company whispered amongst themselves or quietly glowered in the case of Mr Tugi.

Amid the quiet talking one voice rose, belonging to the only one at the table not affiliated with the company. "And what, can you fix?"

She fought to keep her lip from curling in irritation and slight revulsion at the sound of councilman Pok's nasally high-and-mighty tones. The obese representative of the Northern Water Tribe stood up, directing a bow to her and the gathered board members. "These shipments, full of cutting-edge technology I might add, have been seized by the Red Monsoon Triad without too much difficulty, I don't suppose you know how to fix such a obvious danger to the city that you and your company let spiral out of control?"

Making sure to fully ignore the fact that he was absolutely right about their screw-up, she managed to keep her voice level. "Councilman Pok, every piece of equipment on the _Moonflow_ was tagged with a marker that only metalbenders could detect. Chief Saikhan and his officers are searching the city for the stolen shipments right now. The Triads won't hold onto them for long."

"But that still does not ignore the fact that Republic City is cleaning up after you."

"I-"

"Or the fact that much of this equipment has been found in the hands of the recent protesters and rioters claiming to be 'Equalists'."

Dead silence filled the room as Pok stopped speaking and sat back down in his seat, lacing his fingers and resting his hands on his generous belly. The company heads exchanged looks with one another, with quite a few directed at Asami that just screamed disappointment.

"It...seems, that your company has become a far greater threat to the city than the Equalists ever were." She chewed her lip, focusing on something simple like that to stop the tears she could feel building up.

Next to Pok sat his fellow representative, Wu. The withered old man nodded in agreement with him, sharing his sentiments. "Ms Sato, I believe that you'll find the best solution to this problem."

"Oh, as do I." Pok stood up in time with Wu and the two of them bowed to the board members. "I am confident that you'll have this under control-"

"This meeting is over." Iroh didn't bother hiding the glare he directed in Pok's direction, who currently held the barest vistages of a self-assured smile. The fact that it was barely noticeable only served to make it much more arrogant and self-serving.

The board members all exchanged nods with one another and got up to leave the room, some of them muttering and others shaking their heads with worry or stroking their chins in thought.

It didn't take long for the room to be clear, leaving only herself, Iroh and Verick.

"Wow." She whispered in shock, lying her head down on the table and letting her hair form a curtain that kept her hidden from the world.

"Told 'em to go easy. They never listen to me." Verick murmured as he idly spun in his chair, stroking his chin deep in thought and utterly frustrated at how that just went.

"Asami, are you-" Iroh's features softened as he sat on the edge of the table to face her, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Iroh. Really." she whispered, hoping that all he could hear was muffled sounds coming from within the curtain of shiny raven hair.

"Hmm. I've been around here long enough to know that's not the case."

"You are a _terrible liar_, Asami. Just saying as a pro." Verick piped up, getting a smirk as he spun around while looking up at the ceiling.

"Right." She found herself chuckling a little, which did enough to make her lift her head off the table a little bit and give the two of them wry looks.

"So, Ms Executive, what's the game plan?"

"Yeah. Game plan." Going back to her hiding place sounded like a good idea for a few moments, and she was sorely tempted to just not say anything at all. But the rational part of her, which unfortunately tended to be the biggest part of her, decided for her. "I don't suppose we could send a salvage crew down to the South Pole to check for any of the missing cargo?"

"Even with my father's ships it would take too long and cost too much."

"By now they're probably long gone anyway." Iroh added.

She nodded and sighed. "Alright. Look, I think I just need to get home and clear my head. We've got a few days before the world leaders arrive..

Verick stood up and made his way to the door, leaning against the doorframe as General Iroh left her side and walked along long table's length before stopping and looking at her. "Coming, Asami?"

"What? Yeah, I just need a few minutes. Need to grab a few things." She hoped he didn't pick up the shaky tones in her voice, for a few moments it looked as if he would. But being the gentlemen he was, Iroh nodded and gave her a smile.

"See you tomorrow, Asami." He ignored Verick's eye roll as he moved through the doors, leaving with the inventor and closing them behind him.

She released a pent-up sigh and leaned forwards on the table, rubbing her temples.

Everything was falling apart.

The nearby phone rang with a series of shrill notes, shocking her and leaving her heart pounding a million miles a minute. She swallowed and blinked a few times, realizing she was taking in deep breaths. She calmed herself down and composed herself, picking up the reciever and bringing it to her ear.

"Asami." Tenzin's voice came in loud and clear.

"Tenzin I...Uh, hello." Her mind raced, a little surprised to hear from him so soon. "You're already back from the Southern Air Temple?"

"Yes... We decided to leave early." She arched a eyebrow, hearing someone like Tenzin sound so unsure and...like he was hiding _something_ was no small surprise to her. "Korra is fine Asami. As are the rest of us. However I must ask you a favor."

"Shoot, Tenzin."

On the other end of the line, Tenzin paused for a moment before continuing. "We were attacked at the Southern Air Temple and forced to flee back to the city. I think the invaders were after Korra, and I don't want to put her in danger by letting any of the media know where she is."

"Sounds serious. Don't worry, I have a little experience with stonewalling reporters. She's welcome to stay. Although I'll be tangled in meetings for the rest of the day trying to sort this mess out."

"Thank you, Asami. Perhaps she can stay longer if you-"

"No, no-that's okay. I'd like that but..." She trailed off, remembering the three hundred or so rooms occupying the huge mansion. She shook her head and smiled shakily, knowing that Korra would never like being cooped up in a place like hers for too long. "That's fine. She'd probably just make a mess anyway."

"If you're sure. Take care, Asami."

Tenzin's voice faded away as she placed the reciever back down with a click and sighed.

* * *

_Police Headquarters, Republic City._

Mako barely noticed as someone brushed past his shoulder as they rushed down the stairs, instead too wrapped up in the last few days. He grunted in brief annoyance as he reached the second level of the staircase, moving into the stark and utlitarian hallway that was once plush and airy looking, but had been converted back into a hallway that looked just like any other in the storied building.

His boots clacked on the polished black metal floor and left a trail of scuff marks behind him, much to the disapproval of a nearby janitor who shook his head and sighed.

He ignored him and kept on moving down the hallway past a series of doors until he found the one he was looking for.

"How's the arm?" He leaned against the wall next to Boto, who kept as still as possible to make sure he wouldn't knock any of his injured muscles or limbs. Which happened to be every single one of them.

"Coping."

The two of them fell silent, both of them realizing exactly what was going to happen once they stepped into Saikhan's office. They messed up. Badly.

"Ready to face the music?" Mako grunted noncommitally, finding the water triber's sarcasm to be a little out of place right now.

Usually with situations like this he could just think of her and- he shook his head and scowled, the mere thought of her doing the exact opposite.

Boto noticed this and looked at him with a question, before nodding and pressing a palm on a small grey block jutting out next to the square frame of latticed metal making up the door.

With perfect smoothness and no jarring at all it slid into the wall, allowing them access to the austere office within that had the exact same coloring as the hallway they stood in.

Inside Saikhan sat at his desk, running a palm down his face while balling up a piece of paper and tossing it in a nearby bin as Makei stood at attention in front of the desk, his back to Mako and Boto.

Makei glanced at the two of them and nodded. "Good too see you two. I didn't think you'd show up."

"Sir." Boto stood at attention immediately in front of the desk. "We'll take any and all responsibility for our failure. This is our mess-"

"Stow it, lieutenant. Right now, I've got a entire city on the brink of outright anarchy. And right as the leaders of the _other nations _are scheduled to arrive for the summit." Saikhan sighed as he looked up at the two of them and held up a light blue folder. "Is there anything else that wasn't in the report you sent over?"

Mako shook his head. "No, Chief. We made contact with our source at a dive on the edge of Inna, and from there traveled down the southern road to tail the Grey Man. We lost him in the cover of a blizzard and switched to alternate targets going to the same location. We tailed them to the warehouse where the Monsoons had hidden the _Moonflow _and witnessed them loading the last of the crates from the ship onto a few trucks."

"We also witnessed Rorik making some kind of trade with the Grey Man."

"And... that's when everything went south." Mako admitted, staring at the floor under his feet as he recalled the sensation that came with the shrill ringing in his head. "I...compromised our cover."

"Hmm. Tenzin witnessed the same thing in the sewer substation during Avatar Korra's rescue. You were affected then as well." Makei flipped through a folder as he said this, rubbing the salty black stubble on his jawline.

"We encountered him while making our way out of the Monsoon's base." Boto confirmed, recalling the chilling sensation just from seeing the vivid grey eyes in that hood.

"I compromised our cover and the Monsoons had us surrounded. Then the source who provided us with the location of the ship saved us. I was taken to safety, but... Boto-"

"I blacked out and regained consciousness in the middle of a blizzard. There was a old ship nearby that I took shelter in... Rorik was waiting for me. I managed to injure him but he escaped." Boto didn't like recalling what happened in that ship, especially the comments about his father. He shook his head and continued on. "I would have died on that ship if it weren't for Yem."

"The White Lotus Agent chasing after that precious sword of hers?" Makei asked, folding his arms and leaning on the corner of the desk.

"Mako was with her."

Saikhan glanced at him with a raised eyebrow and a slightly suspicious look. He turned his attention to Mako. "Is this true?"

"They were the ones who dragged me out of that warehouse. Amon's protege was leading them."

"Tarrin? Isn't that student of Tenzin's his brother?"

"Yeah. I have no clue where they are now though, we can't bring them in." Mako's eyes narrowed a little at the mention of Tai before he fell quiet, finding that as soon as he didn't have anything left to say his thoughts kept going back to what he said to Korra back at the White Lotus compound.

"Terrific..." Saikhan muttered. "I can't fault you two for the investigation going nowhere. You were unprepared and without backup in a hostile environment. We need to focus on what we can do now to solve this problem."

Boto nodded, glancing at Mako and elbowing him to get his attention. The firebender shook his head and scowled at him before nodding as well. "Anything further, sir?"

"Nope. The only thing on the cards is providing security for the arena when during the National Match. But you two need to take some time off."

"Sir, we can continue working, just say-"

The Chief fixed Boto with a withering look. "Lieutenant, this is the only time you'll hear this from me: Take a few days off. See the match, spend some quality time with your gal, just be ready when you come back."

"Great... time off." Mako muttered, not looking forward to spending all of his time in his apartment. The only alternative included _Korra_.

"We'll take that... advice, sir."

Saikhan sighed as he nodded and grabbed a pen from a pot on his desk, scribbling the first of _many _signatures on the first of _many _copies of the exact same warrant sheet. "Try to have fun."

The locker room had just emptied of officers as Mako and Boto walked in, watching as off-duty officers laughed and joked with one another on their way out of a station and to the nearest club or dance hall, while others were on their way to a long and lonely night of patrolling the streets.

From what Boto had been hearing ever since he stepped off the ferry with Korra and the others, the gang wars had only gotten worse and a lot of people had been injured. Many of them police officers or just average benders.

Standing in front of a nearby locker Boto bounced his wolf helmet in the air for a few seconds before laying it down on the nearby bench, briefly brushing the bridge of the wolf's nose with his fingers. He just couldn't get what Rorik said about his father out of his head. The sadistic madman was about as far away from being a trusted source as you could get. He shouldn't dwell on what he said. It was what he did to get to people, it was his own special brand of violence.

He sighed and opened his locker, carefully placing his father's helmet on the top shelf. He looked over at Mako. "You gonna see your brother?"

"Sure." Mako answered without even sparing a thought, finding himself more interested stripping off his gloves and placing the pair of them on a hook on the door. A photo set in a simply wooden frame caught his eye as it stared at him above the hook, briefly pulling him back a couple of months to a date with a beautiful girl on a warm summer night.

His fist clenched for only a second when he slammed the locker shut, getting a raised eyebrow from Boto. "You know she never would have let him get hurt if she could, Mako."

"Brilliant for her." He hissed, focusing on checking his wallet rather than looking at him. "Maybe the next time she takes him out on a field trip she can try again."

"Right. Its completely her fault."

"Yep."

"If you say so." Boto's silence for a few seconds communicated exactly how finished he was with the subject. The waterbender leveled him with a look of concern before turning back to his locker. "Going to the match?"

The change in topic was blatant. "Wouldn't miss Bo's chance to shine." Mako muttered as he placed his foot back down on the floor. "So what about you?" He wasn't really interested, just eager to steer the conversation away from the current topic of _her_.

"I've got some business to take care of at the hospital."

"Duty stops when we're off-duty."

"But the Red Monsoons don't. I need to find out more about them."

"Whatever."

"And you?"

"No plans." He lied, already going over how much of a bad idea it was going to be talking to her so soon.

* * *

_Sato Mansion, Republic City._

Korra stared up at the ceiling, trying and failing to find any cracks in the high-quality wood the study was made up of. Asami wouldn't be back for a few more hours.

On an nearby desk one of the ever-present radios, which she had discovered occupied almost every room in the place, talked to itself with barely any static at all. "Aaandd_ we're back, Republic City! We couldn't even stay away for three whole minutes! Could we, Lian?"_

_"Definitely not, Lan! We love our listeners far too unconditionally to even think about it!" _Lian's chirpy tones weren't enough to get Korra's attention, she stretched out to take up as much space on the surprisingly comfy leather couch as possible and yawned long and loud.

Being by herself in the mansion had lost the novelty. It gave her too much time to dwell on he thoughts.

"_I'm afraid we can't help it, can we, Lian?" _

The two voices on the radio laughed in unison, compounding her frustrated mood.

"_So where were we, Lan? The Avatar?" _

_"I believe so, Lian. The Avatar."_

She lifted her head from the arm rest, now looking at the little brown box on the table with a mix of dread and anger.

_"Y'know, I've found it strange that she still hasn't been sighted. I've seen her in action and boy howdy is she a loud one!_" Korra grunted, flexing and unflexing her fingers as she thought of bathing the little gadget in a blast of fire.

_"And so close to the Meeting of Nations too. Our council will have a hard time answering those questions, especially coming from the current Fire Lord and Earth King!"_

_"I got a brainwave here, Lian. I have it under firm authority that Avatar Korra is related to the Royal Family of the Northern Water Tribe. Sounds like a open and shut case to me!"_

_"We all need some time to visit family, Lan. Even the savior of Republic City."_

_"I can understand the pressures and all, and especially after that business with the Red Monsoons, even I would-" _Korra growled and hopped off the couch, storming over to the little radio. She breathed heavily as she clenched and unclenched her fists before violently wrenching the dial on the radio's side to the OFF position.

The grating chirpy tones of Lian and Lan died away under a sea of static, and she nodded in satisfaction. She stormed back to the couch and flopped down on it.

Soon enough her thoughts started to creep up on her again. She tried to stop this by focusing on the time she was able to spend with her parents, but instead she kept coming back to the brutal smackdown she received from Telei, and the chilling time she spent in the Dark Cave.

She couldn't help the feelings of dread crawling up her spine just thinking about that place, and especially her encounter with Koh. Korra's mouth went dry just at the image of that bone-white mask on the grotesque centipede body, and found that wrapping her arms around herself gave her a small measure of comfort in light of it.

Rather than stay like that forever a rebellious thought managed to banish the painful memories, forcing her off the couch and demanding her to do something to occupy her time.

Korra had no clue what to do as her eyes ran over the room, seeing the bookcases making up most of the walls. Apart from the large desk sitting in front of a massive window that currently had crimson curtains closed over it there wasn't much else that held interest for her.

On a whim she decided to move towards the desk. She stared at its smooth surface, wondering if she should even think of touching anything on it, knowing that this was Asami's mother's personal study.

She resolved to be as careful as possible. Korra eased one of the top drawers open, the inkwells and canisters within rolling around and bumping into one another immediately. Panicking slightly at the huge amount of noise the small group of objects managed to make she quickly stopped them from moving around, placing them around the edges of the little space.

Something lying flat against the bottom of the drawer space caught her eye. A picture. She tried and failed to get her finger tips underneath it, so she settled for pointing a finger at it and gently generating a tiny stream of air.

It didn't take her long to recognise Asami, even as a kid she still had long flowing hair. The man standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder and a smile on his slightly doughy features.

Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head, wondering how someone as happy as that could do the things he did not a few months ago.

Korra answered her own question when she looked at the beautiful woman standing by Hiroshi, a barely-there cat-like smile on her easygoing features. She had her done up in a different style than Asami's, but the exact same hair made it clear that was her mother standing there and holding onto her daughter's little hand.

She laid the old photograph back down in its resting place, and closed the drawer. Realizing exactly what Asami had lost. Everything.

A knock on the door made her squeak in surprise. "Lady Avatar? Master Mako is here to see you."

* * *

_Air Temple Island_, Republic _City._

The golden sun began to dip below the waves of Yue Bay the day approached its end, lending a sparkling shine to them and casting a warm lazy light over Air Temple Island and the two teens that had just stepped foot on it.

"Owwwww."

"Oops, sorry!" Sensha shifted her weight again, trying not to panic or let her grip on him slip like it did on the way up the ramp. "You said you felt _fine_."

"What? I needed to get out of the Hospital. Its my last day anyway, I might as well be back on my feet."

She fixed him with a look and sighed, wondering why she even decided to ask him along. "You could have rested at home or something. Take it easy or something."

"Hey. I wanted to hang out with you, you need a great guy like me to look stunning and _gorgeous_."

Sensha couldn't help but chuckle, sincerely touched that he agreed to go with her. "Right." She shook her head and rolled her eyes as they reached the top of the ramp, now standing at the edge of the massive courtyard that dominated the center of Air Temple Island.

"So... what are we supposed to be doing?" Came the inevitable question she had expected to hear ever since she came by the hospital.

"Well, due to me being a Kyoshi warrior and all, I have been handpicked by the esteemed grand master of my order to act as bodyguard for some important people from the Northern Water Tribe while they are staying in the city. I have no clue who they are."

"I'm sure you can stand being around a couple of snobby windbags. Right?" Bolin yelped as she 'accidentally' slipped on a non-existent rock, he rubbed his shoulder and turned a pout on her.

The thing with his pouts was that they were usually genuine and accompanied by his _damn_ green eyes. She tried to hold out for as long as possible but in the end he won out. "I'm sorry."

"Works 60% of the time, every time." Bolin beamed at her, looking pleased with himself.

"That doesn't make sense." She shook her head and continued to help him across the courtyard, then came to a stop on top of the ying-yang symbol dominating the stonework. She looked up at the sky, seeing a boxy blur dive out of the clouds and slowly descend towards where she and Bolin stood.

"So where are these 'dignitaries'-" Bolin made air quotes with his fingers, getting a chuckle out of her. "- That you'll be hanging around?"

Sensha picked up the speed a little, but made sure that Bolin could still keep up as they approached the stairs leading to the main temple. "I'm supposed to meet them in councilman Tenzin's office. They'll actually be staying on the island while visiting."

It took a little longer than usual for them to climb the stairs because of Bolin's injuries, but they made it to the top and into the building.

"So anything else?" Bolin asked after a while as she helped him up the stairs going to the second level of the large house.

"Nothing much, just that there's three of them." Below she heard something barking along with the laughter of children. Making a mental note to say hello to Tai she led the way into the nearby hallway, looking for a door with a simple orange doorframe around it.

She found what she was looking for past a couple of doors further down, stopping in front of it and taking a deep breath. "Okay, I can do this, not a drama..." She said to herself as she closed her eyes.

They flew open when she realised Bolin had placed a hand on her shoulder. She caught her breath for a few moments before glancing at him and giving a weak smile. "I'm good."

He nodded, and Sensha turned back to the door with a look of resolve. She rapped the door with a few firm knocks and waited a few seconds before grabbing the handle and opening it.

Inside, three people dressed in varying shades of blue, greys and purples talked with Tenzin quietly for a few moments before turning to look at her.

Bolin's eyes lit up at the sight of the slight young woman standing off to the side, her head bowed. "Kirima?"

Sensha ignored the look in his eyes as she moved into the room, trying to stride with as much purpose as she could before standing in front of them and Tenzin. She bowed.

"Sensha, good to see you've arrived." Tenzin bowed as well, before straightening and indicating the three Water Tribers. "Chief Unalaq of the Northern Water Tribe and his children. Eska and Desna."

The slight boy standing by his father's side, similar in looks to his sister, bowed deeply. "How do you do."

She glanced behind her quickly, seeing the almost star-struck look in Bolin's eyes and questioning the brief flutter of...jealousy...that came with it. She ignored it and nodded. "Sir. I'll be your bodyguard during your stay in the city."

"Hi." Bolin waved his hand in a dreamlike motion, and Eska nodded in response with a slight smile. The water tribe princess then cleared her throat and switched her attention to Sensha.

"Actually..." She glanced at Eska, trying very hard not to dislike the girl as she inclined her head in respect. "You will be my bodyguard. I am looking forward to it."

* * *

_Sato Mansion, Republic City._

Asami focused on turning the key in the ignition as much as she could, knowing that the movement was as natural to her as breathing was. Even still, she kept most of her attention on it rather than the whole matter of saving a dying company that constantly plagued her mind.

Trying to stay out of her thoughts as much as possible was proving very difficult to do.

She frowned at the sight of the brown and sturdy looking motorcycle parked on the curb nearby, vaguely remembering that Mako was issued one just like it when he first started as a patrol officer.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she ascended the steps leading to the mansion's front deck and she spotted Mako leaning against the doorframe and staring up at the ceiling.

"This...is a surprise." She folded her arms and stood in front of him.

He looked at her and unfolded his arms. "I'm waiting for Korra to get ready.

"For what? You haven't exactly been polite to her from what I've heard." She couldn't help the biting tone in her voice, unable to get past the fact that she been in this exact situation herself and knowing Mako's track record from personal experience.

"I guess its my way of an apology."

She sighed inwardly at his gruff tones, resisting the urge to shake her head as she walked past him and into the lobby of the mansion. It didn't take her long to spot Korra, looking the happiest she had in a long time as she practically bounced the stairs onto the ground floor, throwing her jacket on.

"Hey! You're back! Listen, I got a thing with Mako-" She babbled on and on, absolutely filled with excitement and sheer joy.

"I know, Korra." Asami smiled at her. "Are you sure about-"

"Yes, I so am! If Tenzin calls, just tell him I'm at the park with Mako!" Korra beamed as she wrapped Asami in a bearhug, before setting her down and running to the door, she stopped for a moment and slapped her forehead. "Get him to pick me up at 10:00pm or something! Uh, by the central fountain thingy! Bye!"

Asami waved weakly as the door slammed shut, a look of genuine worry on her.

* * *

_Central Park, Republic City._

He coaxed the motorcycle to a stop up against the side of the curb, taking his feet off the pedals and flipping the kickstand down. He went to swing his leg over when he realized there was a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

Outwardly he chuckled, inwardly he couldn't stop thinking about what a terrible idea this was.

"Going somewhere?" He heard her tease with a hint of amusement. She laughed and released him, getting off the backseat of the bike and standing on the footpath.

Mako hooked his fingers under the bottom edges of his helmet and then hesitated. She'd know something is up as soon as he removed his helmet. He found himself looking into her eyes however. He sighed as he balanced the helmet in his palm for a few seconds, before placing it on the end of the handlebar and stepping away from the bike.

On the footpath he felt her hand wrap around his automatically. He just couldn't see the point in not letting her.

His feet started moving almost of their own will, carrying him down the footpath running along the perimeter of the park and the spiked iron fencing separating it from the street.

Her hand squeezed his a few times and he felt her cheek nestling against his shoulder. Once again, he tried to ignore it and focus on the warm glow of the street lamps overhead.

The open gate to the park soon came into view, admitting a number of people into the park at a steady pace. A nearby pair of Metalbenders in full uniform patrolled up and down the streetside in front of the gate, the two of them gave him nods of recognition.

"You know those two?"

Mako remembered who was with him. "What? Yeah, from work." He felt her cheek rubbing his shoulder as she nodded, giving his hand yet another squeeze.

Not saying anything further the two of them walked through the open gates, passing a few couples along the way. Who all just seemed to be there to irritate him. A few of them whispered to each other excitedly, especially when they spotted Korra.

She waved at a few of them just to be polite, but didn't linger, wanting this night to be about her and him.

Soon enough as they continued along the stone path and the trees on either side of them started to grow closer together, the frequency of other couples dropped sharply. Soon enough, it just seemed like it was the two of them alone in the park.

The lights from the apartment blocks didn't reach as far in the park as they were, only able to give the still ponds and quietly gurgling streams strewn in the dimming light around them a soft warm glow.

A pleasant sigh lifted from her, breaking Mako out of his thoughts. He looked around, recognising the large bricked square up ahead and the elaborate fountain taking up the center.

"I remember this place." Korra unwrapped her hands from him and jogged over to a tree growing near a corner of the square. "We spent the night here while waiting for that Equalist goon. That was _embarassing_."

"Yeah." He glanced at her, finding that she was overlooking a very important detail. "Well, we couldn't really find Bolin any other way, could we?"

"Uh, no." Mako shook his head and sighed explosively.

The firebender found that he enjoyed the silence that ensued.

"You know, ever since we've gotten back from the South Pole, you've been acting kind of strange." He almost growled at the 'concern' in her voice. She couldn't seriously be doing this?

He couldn't help it as he looked at her, barely stopping himself from laughing in outright disbelief. "Yeah, well, I suppose finding your only living family nearly frozen to death out in the cold, _after_ being kidnapped into the spirit world might make anyone a little...strange."

"Have you even gone to see him since getting off the ferry?"

"How- how can _you of all people_ ask that?" He found that he could contain himself no longer. Now he relished waiting for the chance to _explode_.

"I- sorry." She looked at the ground, her voice dropping to a low level. "Shouldn't have asked-"

"Yeah, _you, _shouldn't have." He didn't bother hiding the distaste this time.

"Okay, just what is your problem with me?" Korra knew she should have felt angry or something, but instead all she had was desperation. She just wanted to understand _him, _ever since she'd been kidnapped it seemed like he had been treating her like a distant annoyance at best. Coupled with what happened between them at the South Pole, she felt like she deserved at least some kind of answer from him.

"Gee, how about the fact that you don't think getting Bolin injured isn't a big deal?" He didn't care that he was shouting now, focusing on trying to get through that thick skull of hers. "I've protected him pretty much from the moment he started walking. Then _you _came in the picture and I-I." He remembered how badly he had treated Bolin in the last couple of months. "I pretty much _threw him aside_ for your sake!"

Korra realised she was making a mistake letting her anger get the best of her. But it proved so easy to just let it go. "I didn't ask you to do that! If you had stuck around and not gone off chasing criminals then he wouldn't have _gotten hurt_!"

"Not much I can do against spirits, can I?." He started to pace back and forth in front of the fountain, his hand running along the thick stone railing ringing it.

"You're seriously blaming me for everything bad that has happened to you?" Now she was angry, the desperation was completely gone, burned away by a mix of anger and regret. "Bolin _asked_ to come with me into that cave, I didn't force him into anything! He was just being a good friend!"

His bitter laughter answered her. "A good friend?" He asked with a mocking tone. Mako shook his head and continued pacing back and forth.

She advanced forward a few steps closer to the fountain, a small part of still believing there was some way she could fix this. That small part was dwarfed by her desire to get some sense into him. "Its not like you can't be blamed. As soon as you became a cop, Bolin just fell out of the picture for you!"

He surprised her by sighing and leaning on the guard rail of the fountain with his back to her. "And you've always been there for him, _right?_ Is that what you were going to say?"

That stopped her cold.

Her body froze in place, every word he said to her striking true. She could only blink, stunned into silence at the fact that he was right.

"You're reckless and you don't think ahead. You just hope that everything will work out for you in the end, no matter what happens or who gets hurt." He looked away from Korra, unable to stand the sight of her. He looked into the water of the fountain instead. "And you make others hurt each other as well." He whispered, hanging his head in shame.

Korra watched, still silent as a mouse when he shook his head and clenched his fists, stepping away from the fountain. "This is getting old." He muttered with a dark look directed back at her.

And just like that he turned and left, walking back along the path they took to get here.

"Mako?" She whispered in a low voice as she stared down the path, breathing heavily with her fists clenched. Five minutes passed after she no longer heard his footsteps and she finally unclenched her fists.

Korra sank to the ground, and with a sob wrapped her arms around her, burying her face into her knees.

Tenzin heard a low grumble beneath him that lasted for a few seconds, and nodded.

"You'll get used to it." He muttered, the same thing he said the last thirteen times Oogi had gotten used to the clean and fresh air of the Southern Air Temple and flown over Republic City.

Oogi answered with another rumble and bucked his head slightly as his way of nodding. Tenzin sighed as he tightened his hold on the reins and leant slightly forward to whisper in the Sky Bison's ear. "Almost there."

He gently pressed his foot into Oogi's side and bent low over the saddle, the change in wieght telling Oogi to go lower. Tenzin waited until Oogi was just above the shortest of the apartment buildings surrounding bark until straightening in the saddle again,

The Sky Bison leveled out and grumbled again, this time sounding pleased as he moved through the fresh air produced by the plants growing below in the park.

Tenzin kept his eyes peeled for Speaker's Square, focusing on the central portion of the park in particular.

It didn't take him long to spot the red coloring that made it stand out from the trees around it or the bridges connecting to it over the streams of water. He angled Oogi down again, heading straight for the open space.

A frown surfaced on him when he got close enough clearly see the square's fountain, he searched for signs of Korra and Mako but couldn't find anything.

He guided Oogi to land near the fountain, making sure to be gentle about it so the bricks wouldn't crack under the Bison's weight. Oogi rumbled as he shook his entire body and rolled his shoulders, glad to be at rest for the moment.

Tenzin used a small stream of wind to slid down Oogi's flank onto the bricks, he busied himself and straightened his mantle while he looked around himself.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the square, he spotted a small figure sitting at the base of a willow tree near the corner of the square. He moved closer and grunted as Korra crashed into his chest, her eyes screwed shut and wetness visible on her cheeks.

"Tenzin."

* * *

土


	22. The Gathering Trouble

土

* * *

_Air Temple Island, Republic City._

Ever since Tai had gone to sleep the previous night, there was something that been a constant presence on his mind, something that had kept him awake the whole night.

Not even the Dai Li, not even Telei, and amazingly not even Meelo stealing his socks stood up in comparison to the absolute barrage of noise emanating from the next room, filtering through the thin wooden walls as a wailing cry that sometimes segued into the deep warbling of some spirit-monster as it devoured its latest victim.

He came to the conclusion that he hated Ling's snoring with a _burning passion._ In comparison Bolin seemed almost like a gift from the spirits themselves. Thinking about that gave him a slight pang of disappointment that he was no longer staying on the island, having moved back into the arena attic since they got back.

A whining noise drew his attention and he looked over at the foot of the bed, seeing Kaze wrapped around himself, scratching at his ears as he tried to shuffle into the space between Tai's bed and the wardrobe as much as physically possible.

Tai grumbled under his breath, noises not coming close to resembling words, sitting up and making a attempt at rubbing his eyes.

The lethargic state at which his muscles worked just resulted in him punching himself in the eye a few times.

Hissing with pain at his own stupidity, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching and yawning. The snores continued, making him grind his teeth a little and grab a nearby pillow to hold over his ears to at least muffle the noise slightly.

Another noise joined the other, making him groan a little as his door slid open, letting Meelo and Ikki race into his room and jump onto his bed. "Wake up wake up wake up! Time to wake, sleepyhead!" Ikki giggled as he rubbed the back of his neck and groaned, finding that his eyes were beginning to close already.

"Couldn't even sleep..." He yawned, watching Meelo bounce around his room and jump up and down on his bed. "Wha-"

Ikki giggled and beamed as she poked the side of his head. "Daddy says we're going to meet the Firelord and Earth King tonight! There's a big fancy party and everything!" She giggled and hopped off his bed and towards the door, running circles around Tenzin's legs as he stood in the doorway.

"Everyone's up except for you, slowpoke!" Meelo shouted in his ear, giving Tai a headache in the process. The little boy hopped off the bed and ran after his sister, who's giggles bounced all over the hallway just outside his door.

Tai hid a smirk at the sound of the snore-beast's lair next door being invaded by the two terrors, resulting in the snores being violently stopped.

Tenzin moved further into the room, patting Kaze on the snout as the Spirit-Wolf sat on his haunches to greet him. He sighed as he looked over his student, taking in the messy hair, rumpled black shorts and grey t-shirt. "Yes, there will be a official welcoming celebration thrown in honor of the gathering of nations tonight. Which you will be attending."

With one eye screwed shut and refusing to open, Tai groaned as his drowsy thoughts tried their best to circulate. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because you are my student and that makes you a representative of the Air Nomads." Tenzin answered with frank honesty.

Tai nodded as he straightened, running a hand to pat down the parts of his hair that refused to bow down. He opened his wardrobe, blinking slowly at the furious explosion of bright oranges and yellows as he tried to find his coat amidst the forest of Air Nomad robes. "I don't know if you realize this, master, but I don't exactly have any fancy clothes."

"Taken care of. Asami called and said she has just the thing for both you and Korra."

As usual he found it tossed at the bottom of the wardrobe in a twisted ball. He picked up and shook it out, untangling the coat into its proper shape. He glanced at Tenzin. "So... where was Korra last night?"

He stuffed a arm through one of the sleeves, watching his hand poke out the other end. A heavy sigh reached his ears. "Out... She came back at a late hour. Which reminds me, can you wake her up?"

"Uh, what happened to the 'no guys in the girl's dormitory' thing, doesn't that still apply-"

"Just knock on her door. Asami is waiting in the dinner room."

The boy arched a eyebrow at Tenzin's evasive tones concerning Korra, but didn't question his master as he left the room. He shrugged and finished putting on his coat, reaching down for his sword belt and sheath. He stopped, realizing that quite possibly for the first time he was finally going somewhere that wasn't filled with Equalists, Bloodbenders, Dai Li Agents, or old masters.

He brushed his fingers up and down the sheath's smooth black leather, before sliding it under his bed and leaving the room, moving down the hallway and grinding his teeth again at the unnatural range of noises coming from the nearby room, luckily muffled with the closed door. Tai kept going, leaving the boys dormitory behind and making his way across the entrance hall to the other side where the girls dormitory was located.

Tai couldn't stop himself wondering why Tenzin was so cagey about last night as he walked the hallway's length towards Korra's room, his master had never behaved like that before... except after Amon had been beaten and the Equalists sent packing... when he was recovering from the effects of bloodbending.

Now that he was thinking about it, both Korra _and_ Tenzin were acting a little strange around him back then.

He shook the thoughts away as he came to a stop in front of Korra's room.

Reluctant to just knock in case she wasn't dressed or anything he lingered for a few seconds, trying to decide how long he should wait for. He arched a eyebrow as the door started shaking and rattling, like something on the other side was pushing against it.

Seconds later he heard a deep whine come from inside the room. Inside someone started to move about. "Its okay, Naga."

The door slid open, revealing the default morning look of Korra. Her hair sat as a utter twisted mess and she was dressed in a simple tank top along with a pair of shorts. She rubbed a spot on her shoulder, notably looking at the wall or floor instead of him.

"Hey. Tai." she half-mumbled, cracking the barest resemblance of a smile possible.

"We're about to get going soon." He deliberately made a effort not to look at her almost completely bare legs, instead settling on her tired expression and the bags under her eyes. "Did you get any sleep at all?" He smiled and chuckled, not used to seeing her like this.

"Yeah. Just not a morning person." Korra rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, bringing to Tai's attention how red her eyes were.

He hid a grimace from her and nodded, waiting patiently as she turned back into the room and closed the sliding door on him.

Sounds came from the room, among them a crash and a thud followed by a curse, which brought a smirk to his lips as he turned around and leaned against the wall between her room and the next, looking up at the ceiling and just about to get lost in his own thoughts as the door slid open.

Stepping off the wall he watched as Korra half-stumbled into the hallway, now wearing her usual blue clothes. She glanced at him as she slid each armsleeve over her arms, and her eyes narrowed for a brief second.

"You alright?..." he asked carefully, seeing the dark look in her eyes. "Nevermind. Come on. Asami's waiting for us."

Tai stepped off the wall, unable to help wondering what her problem was as he waited for her to get ready. She pushed past him a little roughly. "Don't want to keep her waiting." The girl muttered.

Not saying anything he followed her down the hallway, definitely thinking that something was bothering her. He thought about asking straight out, knowing that Korra wasn't one for dancing around a problem - usually she would just barge through them - but this time seemed a little different- "I didn't catch you at tea last night. Were you-"

The curt tone she used caught him off-guard for a moment. Quickly he recovered, putting on a non-chalant expression and giving a shrug. "Out. I was out."

He nodded. "Uh huh."

"It was just a _walk in the park._" The girl stopped at the threshold to the entry hall, her shoulders heaving as she slammed a hand against the doorframe, denting and cracking the wood.

The entire building rumbled for a second or so.

Korra stared down at the floor, breathing heavily. She glanced over at her fist and the cracked doorframe, flexing her hand a little and looking at a few tiny splinters stinging her fingers.

"Something's up, isn't it?"

She shook her head and stepped through the doorway, her fists clenching and unclenching as she ground her teeth. "No-"

"Oh he's such a _idiot_-" Korra stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Tai and the look of anger on his features.

"Why are you even asking? Butt out!" Not wanting to waste her breath on him she turned and stalked through the doorway, leaving him to stand there with a look of confusion plastered on.

Clenching his hands he unleashed a explosive sigh. Almost without direction his hand started fumbling in his coat's inside pocket, and he stopped when he felt paper in his fingers.

"Trouble with the fairer kind?"

Rolling his eyes and giving a short grunt he glanced over his shoulder at Bumi, grinning at him with a toothbrush sticking out of the corner of his mouth and toothpaste everywhere on his teeth.

Bumi clapped a hand on his shoulder, pushing the boy into the room ahead of him.

* * *

Asami's grin strained a little and her eye twitched as Rohan tugged on the fistful of her hair with glee, laughing happily in her lap with a look of innocence in his brown eyes.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, her rational self already knew that this wasn't the case. Just look at Ikki. Just look at Meelo. At _Jinora_. Then again, that could just be the paranoia talking. Out of all of them she seemed to be the most... benevolent.

Snippets of heated voices came from the closed door at the end of the room, where it connected to the hallway leading to the entry hall to the large building. The door slid open and Korra stalked through, directing a very brief look of anger back through the doorway before noticing everyone gathered in the room.

Korra directed a tight smile at her and took a seat on the other side of the table.

"Well hey, guys." It didn't take Asami long to notice Korra's tangled hair and the red around her eyes, and the barely contained anger inside them. Or how tense Tai seemed to be as he sat in a seat opposite from her, looking at everything but Korra. "Psyched for tonight?" She asked the two of them, watching as Bumi dropped into a seat and continued brushing his teeth.

"So what's in that?" Asami glanced at Ikki, standing there with a wide beaming grin on her face, pointing at the huge steamer trunk sitting against the wall behind Asami.

She smiled at Ikki just as Rohan started tugging at her hair again. Nearby Jinora noticed and put her back down on the table, moving over and plucking Rohan out of Asami's hands and keeping him out of range of her hair and flashing her a quick smile.

As Jinora left the room with her baby brother happily gurgling in her arms, Asami had her chance to explain, thankful for the rescue. "These are a few things I brought over for Korra and Tai to try on for the party tonight-"

"Not really a party if it's just stuffy diplomats and uppity rich people." Tai muttered. He glanced at her, ignoring the dark look from Korra. "So why have you got stuff for me? I don't do formal."

A silence followed, with neither Korra or Tai deciding to break it. Bumi coughed and glanced at the two of them before grinning at Asami. "Well ms Sato, I for one like parties!"

"That's great! I actually have something in the trunk for you as well. Iroh packed it."

"Aw, the kid's looking out for me like usual. He must really miss my company."

"Ah, morning you two." Pema stepped out of the kitchen, smiling at both of them. She looked at Korra. "Want to try on a few dresses for tonight?" Pema asked, glancing nervously at the dark look Korra had on her.

Korra stood up and quickly nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that." She went over to Pema who now stood by the door to the hallway.

"Asami, would you like to-"

"I'll be with you guys in a few seconds, Pema. Thank you."

"Okay." Pema left the room with Korra, who Asami noticed had a look of... regret... on her for a brief moment.

Suddenly Tai felt a clap on his shoulder, and glanced up at Bumi. "Well, my boy, I 'spose I should be heading out as well."

Tai nodded to himself, looking down at the table as Bumi left the room, Meelo and Ikki giggling as they trailed behind him.

It didn't take long for one of them to break the silence.

"You asked about Mako. Didn't you?" Asami's tone wasn't even harsh like he expected, instead it was... regretful.

His eyes narrowed. "So what if I did?"

"Things haven't gone well between them."

Tai rolled his eyes. "Whoopee."

Then she surprised him. "I know how it feels, being caught in that situation-"

"That 'situation' won't matter much longer. I'll be leaving the city for good before it gets to that."

Shock surfaced on her features as Tai exited the room.

* * *

He stalked into his room, fists bunched as he stopped in front of his bed and dumped the fine black jacket and pants into a unceremonious pile on its surface. What did she know?

His fingers found the shoulder of the expensive black material as he lifted his own shirt over his head and threw it into a corner of the room. He stopped for a moment when his eyes caught the mirror set into the side of the nearby wardrobe, affording a side view of his body.

The black jagged slice on his shoulder stuck out vividly against the rest of him.

* * *

_Republic City General Hospital._

Distant shouting and noise reached his ears once again as he floored it down Avatar Road, going in between the scant satomobiles that occupied the road at this hour. A majority of them were luxury models, all headed in the same direction for the lucrative once-in-a lifetime chance to make a impression on the leaders of the world.

In all of the side-streets he had caught a brief glimpse of the people had formed into large crowds, almost baying as police barricades held them in check.

Twisting the handlebars, the sleek black body of his motorcycle responded with smooth ease, rounding the street corner and leading to the view of a large squat building, at least eight stories high and painted a stark white in contrast to the earthy colors of the buildings around it. The curved roofing and the dome capping the hospital immediately reminded him of Sifu Katara's igloo back in the South Pole, just much larger and stable-looking.

Sometimes it took him hours to carve enough ice bricks to plug up a hole in those walls.

He took a nearby side road towards the building, empty save for a few metalbenders patrolling up and down its length in a squad car to deter any threat to the hospital.

They nodded at him as he passed them by, soon leaving the road and going into the large covered entrance to the hospital, the stretch of road within now widened enough to have at least ten ambulances parked within.

Behind his helmet, he grimaced. In recent months that estimation had proven true.

What he saw back there was being repeated all across the city, because of the meeting of nations taking place or due to the triads gearing up against each other he didn't know.

Spotting a free space that wouldn't block any ambulances coming in he guided the cycle towards it, going across the length of the access road in a smooth curve.

But he did know one thing.

In the next few days something was definitely going to happen. And if Rorik and the Red Monsoons were going to be in the middle of it, he needed to know everything possible about them and how his father seemed to be involved.

He took off his prized helmet, eyes narrowed just at the thought that Rorik had tried to shake his belief in Kurso like that.

Once the kickstand was down he dismounted the bike, and rested his helmet in the crook of his arm. He made his way over to the main entrance to the hospital, seeing a few people through the large windows that lined the reception area that organized the hospital.

Boto made his way past the large circular door and into the reception area. People dressed in dark-blue clothes with white circles on their shoulders constantly passed by him on their way elsewhere, most of them brown-skinned just like he was.

A few here or there seemed to be from the Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom judging by their hair color and eyes from what he could see.

He stood there and scanned the room, hoping that no-one would stop to question why he was there. Hopefully the badge on his chest would be enough for them. He spied a reception desk jutting out from the nearby wall, and immediately made a beeline for it as quick as he could.

As he got closer the bored looking water tribe woman seated behind it looked at him and yawned. "Hi. How can I help you?"

"Lieutenant Boto. I'm here to see Lady Kya."

"She's not in."

"What?" He blinked twice. "She's not here?"

The middle-aged woman sighed and nodded, her fingers tapping on the desk's smooth surface. "Yep. She's attending the big shindig up at City Hall. Probably won't be back until tomorrow."

His mind raced, wondering how else he could possibly find the information when the best person to ask wasn't even there. His eyes flicked upwards, looking at a block of wood jutting down from the ceiling, with names of the hospital's different wards on its surface with arrows next to them. "I need access to the Hospital Record room then."

* * *

_City Hall_.

"Strange weather." Tenzin murmured, a little disturbed at how the bright and clear night sky above them on the ride over had disappeared entirely and been replaced by a smothering blanket of cloud.

There weren't many spots for him to set Oogi down the only space big enough and empty enough that wasn't occupied by chatting attendees or national delegates discussing myriad problems being at the base of City Hall's steps.

Behind him, Pema shrugged and picked up Rohan while keeping a eye on Ikki and Meelo as they conjured up air scooters and raced down Oogi's flank, hoping that they wouldn't ruin the outfits she had dressed them in for tonight.

His brow furrowed with worry as he dropped the reins and looked up at the sky, particularly on a front of almost charcoal colored clouds to the west, his best guess being that they were a stormfront coming from the Mo Ce sea. Still, a stormfront that large would have taken time to build up and a lot more people would have noticed it in the meantime.

"Greetings to you and your family, councilman!" Tenzin looked down at the Council Page as he came to a stop a few meters away from Oogi, a nervous look on him at the sight of the sky bison.

"Have the rest of the council arrived yet?"

The page nodded, throwing a nervous glance at Oogi as he opened his maw with a gigantic rumble and yawned. 'Y-yes! They are all present! Councilman Shizu requested that he wishes to speak to you once inside!"

"Thank you." Tenzin inclined his head to the council page as he scurried away, going to Pema's side to make sure she didn't stumble or fall, wincing as Rohan tugged at his beard while being cradled in her arms. He glanced at Korra, concerned that she had been sitting by herself the whole flight over.

He stroked his beard as his children slid down Oogi's flank, blowing the Council Page around and nearly off his feet as they shot past on air scooters, going up the steps of city hall and past the metalbenders standing guard at the magnificent building's entrance.

Tai stood up and nodded at him, jerking his chin in Korra's direction. He rolled his shoulders and shifted around a little in the stiff black suit jacket that seemed to take a liking to restricting his air supply. Not to mention the constricting dress pants. He envied how Tenzin was able to wear his usual willowy orange robes for the occasion.

Tenzin sighed and nodded in answer , hopping out of the saddle and moving towards the building. He waited until Tenzin had walked up the steps and rejoined Pema in front of the buildings double doors before moving towards Korra, desperately trying to keep his eyes from looking at things they shouldn't.

The shoulderless ocean-blue dress she wore, and the cascading way her hair seemed to just tumble down her shoulders, would definitely provide a challenge.

"Gonna keep the world leaders waiting?" He had a smile on and folded his arms, looking down at her.

She looked up at him with a scowl.

Seeing the confused look on him didn't mean anything to her right now, she shook her head and turned her attention to sliding down Oogi's flank, frustrated with the effort of keeping the stupid dress straight and focusing on what she was supposed to do when she got inside.

He watched her stalking up the steps leading to the entrance to the building, a mix of confusion and frustration lending a weight to his steps and putting a slight scowl on his features as he headed up the steps after her, having reached the middle of them by the time she had reached the top.

With the scowl still on him, he passed inbetween the line of sturdy columns holding up the the small section of the building that the stairs led up to, trying to keep his sight on the sturdy oak doors up ahead, with white lotus sentrys standing guard on both flanks.

Tai nodded at Howl as he moved past him, seeing the distracted look on the young White Lotus when Korra had moved through ahead of him. Howl tapped him on the shoulder and leaned in close with a hushed voice. "What's wrong with Korra?"

The airbender started and looked to the side away from Howl. "No clue." he murmured. Howl sighed and ushered him past.

Barely inside the main hall, he glanced to his side and spotted a familiar police officer leaning against the column supporting the balcony above the main entrance, his golden eyes downcast as he stared at his feet.

"Nice to see you showed for the party." Tai whispered quietly, stopping in front of Mako and folding his arms.

"Strange, that sword is usually glued on you. Quite a rare thing for it not to show." Mako glanced at him. "Come for the fun?"

He didn't even need to listen that hard to catch the mocking undertones in Mako's words. He couldn't help himself. "Actually I couldn't really stand by and watch her get all mopey because of you."

"Yeah? Well at least you get to be happy." Mako rolled his eyes and turned away with a bitter laugh. "Go get her 'tiger'."

Tai shook his head and walked away from Mako, looking to rejoin Tenzin and Korra.

The long benches usually occupying the majority of the floor had disappeared, moved elsewhere to allow for the large crowds of richly dressed people milling about, laughing or chatting amongst themselves and enjoying the atmosphere of the night.

She felt a small flicker of worry remembering the last time she had been inside this room. It looked a little different then. Darker and more foreboding, with many of the benches flung about like toothpicks by her earthbending display and the floor cracked like a egg. Sometimes she couldn't stop herself from replaying that moment of dark surprise when Tarrlok revealed his bloodbending to her as a desperate move.

A shiver went down her back just at the thought of her time spent at his mercy.

Korra glanced over her shoulder at the entrance to the hall, thinking she should just walk out now. Her face went ashen at the sight of him leaning against the wall. She quickly dropped her gaze, and looked straight ahead as she moved further into the room.

The majority of the crowd were the longtime socialites and well-off of the city, there to make a impression on the heads of state attending, or hear the latest gossip being brought by the national delegations or just there to have a good time and enjoy the soft music of the nearby band.

Korra immediately felt like retreating into a corner the moment the people in the crowd had spotted her.

The whole room grew smaller when everyone saw her.

"Ms Avatar, you are quite simply a spectacle tonight!" A voice said, belonging to a portly man with a pencil mustache at the front of the crowd, smiling and bowing profusely.

She wasn't sure what to say as she moved closer towards the crowd, spotting Tenzin on the other side of the crowd near the steps. She just needed to get through them to get to him.

Taking a deep breath she smiled and addressed the portly businessman, inclining her head. "Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad to serve."

"No no, Avatar! Thank you for being such a staunch and proud protector to Republic City!" The portly businessman's smile served to make her feel a little more relaxed as the crowd around him chatted and nodded with each other, before looking at her. For a moment she swore some of them gave her and the businessman scathing looks.

She blinked, thinking she must just have been seeing things. She continued to smile at everyone she could, stopping to listen to someone blather on about their magnificent and opulent dining room that she simply _must_ visit when she got the chance, feeling a little in over her head when a rep from the United Forces would talk her ear off about deployment and issues she could assist them with. As soon as that one disappeared back into the crowd she was certain he had slipped a recruitment brochure into her hand.

She blinked and glanced down at the crimson and gold uniformed men and woman standing at attention on the sheet, staring up at her. "Okay..." she murmured.

Korra felt a little cautious after seeing those looks as she neared the edge of the crowd, glad to finally feel a sense of relief when she caught sight of Tenzin standing on the other side.

Behind her someone spoke out, Korra didn't know who, she could only catch the end of what he said. "-errible decorum arriving unannounced, I would love to know where the Avatar learned her manners."

Tai was there as well, but judging by the look of pure awe on him, he was not focusing on the stupid argument she had with him. "Uh. Looking doog-" he went pale with shock before recovering. "-I mean good. Wow."

Forgetting her troubles with Mako for a moment she took a sharp breath to steady herself and managed a small smile. "Thanks. Where is Tenzin?"

The airbender nodded and jerked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing at a space beyond a minefield of representatives from each of the nations. He then scratched the back of his neck, making a small cough and moving his hand towards a pocket inside his coat before muttering something and dropping it. "Through all of them."

Among the gathered elite of Republic City were the sharply tailored dress uniforms of the United Forces, discussing matters with officials from the Fire Nation, dressed in their ceremonial uniform and a deep crimson breastplate.

Those from the water tribe wore trimmed down, lighter versions of the thick coats and parkas they wore in the freezing South and North Poles, the man had differently styled braided wolftails while the women wore their hair long, with loops of jewelry matching a shade of blue strung up in it.

Tenzin weaved his way through the open spaces between the groups of people, whispering apologies or inclining his head to people in greeting as he approached his students. "The crowd can be daunting sometimes."

Korra nodded. "I'm feeling butterflies." She said quietly, not realizing how nervous she sounded. Tenzin smiled at her.

She followed him through the rest of the room, glancing at Tai and noticing the looks he drew from people when he passed by. They came to the round steps leading to the back of the large hall where the council had their meetings, seeing Bolin and Asami standing near the steps.

Bolin grinned and wrapped her in a hug before she could do anything. "Man, feels like I haven't seen you in ages! You feeling ready for this?"

"Of course!" She said, not realizing that she had squeaked that out.

Asami's gentle smile calmed her down as she gently touched her arm. "You'll be fine, Korra."

"Ready?" Tenzin watched as Korra looked up from the floor and nodded vigorously.

The Avatar's smile was shaky at best and definitely strained. "Lead on." Tenzin nodded and went up the steps past her with Tai following. She averted her eyes when he passed, getting a curious glance from Asami.

"You okay?"

She looked up rapidly, smiling again. "Of course I am!"

Asami fixed her with a look of concern, before moving up the steps to follow Tenzin and Tai.

"Don't worry, just think of it as a pro-bending match." Bolin whispered in her ear, before trailing off as a pair of almost identical water tribe twins approached.

"Hello, Korra." Desna said, his tones clipped and formal as he clasped his hands and bowed to her. Next to him, Eska did the same.

Bolin gulped as he beheld Eska. Even though her dress was as modest as they came, she still managed to look absolutely divine. He quickly stopped his cheeks from flushing and imitated her brother's bow. "Hey princess. Eager to watch me play tomorrow?"

Kirima gave him a small smile as if unsure how to respond to that. "Of course I am, Bolin. I'm looking forward to it."

"Great! Because we'll knock it right out of the park!" Bolin laughed nervously at the look of confusion on Eska. "We'll win the match, that is." He coughed into his hand and glanced at Desna.

"I am certain that your leadership will be a deciding factor, Bolin." The Water Tribe Prince looked elsewhere for a moment. "Father?"

Eska bowed as Bolin turned around to see Chief Unalaq standing there, a small smile on him. "Evening you two. I'm glad to see you mingling already."

"Oh- hello sir, I'm- uh-" He managed to stammer out before shutting his trap and bowing to the Chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe. "I wasjusttalking to Eska and Desna here abouthematch tomorrow!" Bolin finished with a cheesy wide grin, nervously waiting what Unalaq would do.

He laughed. "Calm down young man, there's no need for alarm, just checking up on my children. That is all."

"O-Okay. Um. Thank you." He still stuttered, trying, willing himself to shut up and stop embarrassing himself in front of Eska.

Unalaq's expression was tight and controlled, and little did Bolin know it was due to containing a fit of laughter. "I apologize if I caused you any alarm, Bolin." he said in a measured tone. He turned to Desna. "Now I do believe I spotted a certain Kyoshi warrior you are pining after, son. Come with me."

Desna's cheeks blushed a furious red and his mouth opened and closed in shock, he shook his head vehemently while swinging his gaze between the two of them and at his father, before Unalaq's hand clamped down on his shoulder. He was led away from Bolin and Eska, a look of pure helplessness on him.

Bolin kept his face straight in front of Eska, knowing that as a princess she wouldn't tolerate anyone finding entertainment in her brother's misfortune-

She giggled first. "Poor brother." she whispered to Bolin while trying to stop herself from bursting out in laughter.

Without skipping a beat, he grinned at her. "Man, I've lost track of all the times Mako pulled that one on me."

"It is a rare opportunity to... pull one?-" he nodded and she continued on. "-To "pull one" on Desna. I do not get the chance very often." She stopped as a smirk touched one side of her mouth. "Its good to see you again, Bolin."

He doubled over, unable to contain his laughter when footsteps, loud and crisp against the smooth polished floor came to a stop just behind his back. Bolin arched a eyebrow and turned, in time for some brown-skinned guy with pearly white teeth and ice-blue eyes to roughly push past his shoulder and spin him around a little.

He recovered and looked at the guy, ready to teach him some manners-

"Eugh, remember that vagrant from the Avatar's rebending ceremony I told you about? I spotted him again."

"That's... nice, Kerisa." Eska glanced at Bolin, brief worry flitting over her features for a instant before her regal side came back up.

"So who is this? I saw you two laughing together, what was the joke?-" Kerisa's smile, not looking even remotely good natured to Bolin, was lopsided as he glanced at him. "- Who's the monkey? Were you laughing _at _him?"

"His name is Bolin. He is captain of the Fire Ferrets." Bolin noticed how carefully and clearly Eska pronounced each word, like she was holding herself in check.

"Oh, _the Bolin?_ I do apologize, let me get on one knee." Kerisa snickered suddenly, shaking his head at some joke that was clearly entertaining to himself. "So, _Bo bo_, how does it feel not having Big Brother around to hold your hand?"

"Kerisa-"

"Why aren't you laughing at your _betrothed's_ joke, woman?"

The thoughts in Bolin's head instantly crashed to a halt, and he felt something inside him skip a beat or ten. "Betrothed?"

Eska's face fell, but she didn't shy away from his hurt expression. The princess of the Northern Water Tribe locked eyes with him and gave one nod.

* * *

Korra sighed to herself, trying and failing to get her head in the game while on her way to where Tenzin and Tai waited, a short distance away from a strikingly beautiful woman with long raven hair, wearing a crimson dress uniform and black pants with crimson lines down the sides. The oddly plain looking calvary saber strung on her hip had a dark hue to its blade, with the red symbol of the Fire Nation engraved into the blade near the hilt.

Even at this distance, her golden eyes blazed with a fire like that of the sun. While making her way over she spotted the Earth Kingdom delegation, strangely quiet and with none of its members mingling with the rest of the room or the Fire Nation representatives.

As she came to a stop next to Tenzin, he inclined his head and bowed. "Fire Lord Rin."

The striking woman fixed him with a cold look. "Hmm. Tenzin. Still a stick in the mud?"

Tenzin tried his best not to sigh and roll his eyes at how little she had changed since they were kids. "I believe decorum should be kept, Fire Lord."

She waved her hand dismissively at him. "It has its place." The woman gave Tai a curt nod. "Your student?"

Once again, he inclined his head. "Yes."

Once again she nodded, and noticed Korra standing there. "So this is where you've been hiding her, Tenzin." A smirk played on her lips as she looked her over, approving of the obvious muscle the girl carried. Quite the opposite to Aang indeed. "Avatar Korra, pleased to meet you. Having Mr Stiff here as a master must have been boring."

Korra didn't catch the joke, her eyes flickering over to see a exasperated Tenzin while focusing on keeping her posture perfect. "Uh, yes, Fire Lord. Actually he has taught me very well." She gulped seeing the striking woman's curt nod.

"My son told me about his encounter with you after his battlegroup was wiped out. What you did took a lot of guts." Rin's finger tapped on the handguard of her saber as she nodded. "Not bad. Aang would have waited before jumping into the action."

Korra suppressed a sigh, thinking that she was probably going to go on about how Aang was great and all that. But she didn't. Instead Rin smirked. "I have a feeling that if we did it Aang's way things would have turned out differently. Good job."

Rin narrowed her eyes for a moment when she switched her focus to Tai. "I've also heard about you. Gutsy trying to kill Amon like that."

"I try."

"You look like someone I know."

"Mother." Iroh came over, bowing to her and nodding at the three of them. "I'd...like to introduce you to Ms Sato, if you have the time."

"Hang on, Iroh." She waited for her son to bow and move away before looking at them. "I'm sorry I have to cut this short, Avatar." She bowed to Korra and moved towards where the young general waited patiently, then stopped. "Looking forward to that match tomorrow. From a former pro-bender; kick their collective asses."

The Fire Lord left with Iroh, moving past the U-shaped council table and towards the stairs where Asami stood.

"She's intense." Tai muttered.

"I've known her since we were children. She is... very driven." Tenzin looked like he had more to say when he noticed Shizu nearby. "I'll be back."

Tai nodded at him before sharing a glance with Korra, briefly letting his eyes slip to her shoulders for a moment before setting on her face. "She said you looked like someone she knew. What could that mean?"

"Got me."

* * *

Nervous energy buzzed through Asami. She was entirely sure that there was a tingling sensation across all of her fingertips that wasn't supposed to be there.

Her fingers tapped a maddening pattern against the nearby bannister as she registered the intimidating woman approaching, her face cold and regal. A sense of relief washed over her when she spied Iroh trailing not far behind, his hands clasped behind his back and head held high like the general he was.

"Ms Sato. My son said you wished to speak with me?"

Hurriedly Asami bowed. "Yes, Fire Lord. He did."

Rin nodded and clasped her hands behind her back. "Very well, what is you need of me?"

She wasn't prepared for that, taken aback by how straight to the point the woman was. She regained her composure. "I'm - I'm looking to enter into a contract with the United Forces on behalf of Futuretech. I need your assistance to do so."

"Futuretech. People across the world and in my nation think that you funded non-bender terrorists. Is that true?" The woman leveled a cold and hard look at her, and Asami got the feeling that she wouldn't settle for anything less than straight honesty.

"No. It was only because of my-" She halted for a moment, but seeing the arched eyebrow on Rin made her continue on. "-It was because of my father that those allegations were made. But he wasn't acting with the company's interests in mind. He funded the equalists purely out of personal reasons. My company had nothing to do with it."

"Hmm. I have no reason to second guess you, but what do you hope to gain from my help?"

"_My company_, can make Republic City great once again. Like Zuko and Aang wanted."

By the Fire Lord's side, Iroh stared at Asami with a shocked expression, not used to seeing her so... intense.

In response, Rin smiled and glanced at her son. "You just keep going for the fiery ones, don't you?"

* * *

"Well, its refreshing to see you arrive on time for once, Tenzin." The old man grinned at him, of course enjoying the opportunity to exercise his impossibly brilliant wit.

"Shizu. Enjoying the occasion?"

He grunted as the old man clapped him on the shoulder. "Impossibly so, lad."

Tenzin nodded, looking around a little before making a few movements with his hand. A few seconds later, he gave Shizu a nod. "We can speak freely. How's the investigation coming up?"

The old man nodded and pursed his lips as he picked up a nearby glass, swishing the contents a little before raising it to his mouth and taking a small sip, looking at Tenzin. "After the report Lin filed concerning the 'gray man' I did a little digging through a few places around the city. Turns out Telei has been busy in the past few months."

He placed the glass back down on the table and reached inside his jacket, bringing out a small green and brown folder, cracks showing on the leather's folds. "This is a list of all known stations and outposts in the Equalist underground railroad. Turns out he's paid a visit to several of them ever since Amon's revolution failed a couple months back."

"How did you get this?" Tenzin asked, very curious to know and very eager to learn exactly how Shizu managed to get a hold of something that important.

"When I was younger, I would have headed down into the network myself to investigate, one of the few skills from my past that still prove useful. But I'm too old to be skulking through those tunnels alone. So I asked for some help from a nice young man by the name of Tarrin and his followers."

"Shizu, how-"

He held up a hand to interrupt Tenzin. "It was mutually beneficial. He wants to take down Telei just as much as we do to safeguard his followers. And your student's safety as well."

"So why do you need my help?"

Shizu's grin was almost cat-like. He shrugged. "I'm afraid with the arrival of the delegates in the city, our window to stop Telei has been shortened. There was some kind of old document down in the tunnels that the Equalists occupied, a piece of some old map from what Tarrin tells me."

"Do you have it? What's it for?"

"Stop with the questions, already, alright? I'm just a old man and all I'm hearing is yammerin'. The map wasn't down in those tunnels, lucky for us. If it were Telei would have found it already and disappeared from the city. We'd be none the wiser."

"Shizu, _what is Telei up to?_"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, he plans to break into City Hall while the match is being held tomorrow- huh."

Tenzin shook his head, his mind racing to figure out what Telei could possibly want from City Hall when he noticed that someone was looking straight at them. Straight at him.

The green eyes of the Dai Li Director from the Southern Air Temple looked as sharp and cold as they did before. The man had traded in his dark clothes for a light colored robe with padded shoulders, standing next to a giant of a man.

* * *

"Tenzin, I'm so glad your-" Korra glanced nervously around herself, watching as Bumi and Kya each snuck up on him and clamped a hand each on his shoulders. "Bro, I think its time we reminded you of that crush you had on Rin!"

"Aww, he's going red _already." _Kya shared a wicked grin with her impeccably dressed older brother as they both had thoughts of terrorizing their younger sibling.

A uncharacteristic yelp came out of Tenzin as Kya and Bumi dragged him away.

The general clamour of the crowd in the room continued, as if nothing had been interrupted.

"Well, that just happened." Tai murmured to himself, before looking up with a start and realising Korra was looking straight at him. He gulped when he caught another glimpse of her.

A pang of guilt rampaged through her for the way she treated him before. Without thinking she took a step towards him, looking at the floor. "Listen. Tai I'm-"

"Lady Avatar. May I have the honor of introducing you to the Earth King?" Inwardly she cursed at the interruption coming from the smooth and deep tones of the voice behind her.

She turned, in time to see Tai's eyes narrow at the sight of a thin, reedy man with a shaved head. He stood beside a much larger and broader man with tanned brown skin and clear green eyes, his arms folded as he looked down on the two of them.

"I am Earth King Kong, Avatar." His voice was almost like a growl as he looked her over with the same level of interest he would reserve for a insect. There was no emotion on him as he noticed the boy standing next to her. "Who are you? And who is this?"

Tai tore his gaze away from the thin man and looked up at the oversized man. "Just an airbender, old man-"

He grunted when Korra jabbed her elbow into his side. "I apologize for him, Earth King." she bowed to prove her point. "Uh, my name is Korra and I look forward to being... your..." she searched for the right word to say, knowing who she was addressing. "Your Avatar."

Kong still had the same non-expression on him. He nodded. "Very well. I expect great things from you, girl." He looked away from her and moved away, his thinner companion looking after him with a look of shock and worry on his gaunt features.

"Oh, I do apologize, Lady Avatar. The Earth King has quite a lot on his mind. The level of strife back home is just..." He shook his head and bowed to her. "Is just unpleasant. How do you do, my name is Secretary Ko."

Tai fixed the snake with a look of suspicion, grinding his teeth as he looked for signs of a rock fist or a crystal blade on him. His eyes narrowed and he flexed his fingers in anticipation. "You got a lot of nerve showing up here!"

Ko frowned with a sincere look of worry on him. "I'm sorry, my boy? I'm afraid I haven't met you before."

"Don't give me that, you were after-" He grunted again as Korra's elbow jabbed into him again with slightly more force.

"Sorry. My _friend_ must be mistaken or something." Korra shot a glare at him to shut him up. She smiled at Ko, although finding herself with a weird sensation just looking at him.

"Its quite alright, Avatar. People seem to mistake me for someone else quite often.

As the thin man said this, he looked over her shoulder. "Once again, I apologize, Avatar. I must attend to my majesty's needs." He hurried past them, his sleeve brushing against Tai's side.

The boy stiffened at a hint of the green crystal blade showing under the man's cuff for a split second before falling back down.

Just before he left for the other side of the room, Ko turned and bowed to Korra, a glint from the stone on his ring reflecting in her eye. "Lady Avatar, if you ever find yourself in the Earth Kingdom during your travels, I have a wonderful home at Lake Laogai I'd like you to visit. The views are breathtaking."

"Sounds good, Secretary." Korra pushed her palms together and inclined her head to him, watching as he walked away with a quick pace towards the Earth King and his officials. She fixed Tai with a look and punched him in the shoulder. "What is with you?!" She whispered.

"That guy nearly gutted me at the Southern Air Temple. He's the head honcho of those earthbenders. Tenzin will tell you the exact same thing." He didn't need to stand there and see the floored expression on her or the stunned silence coming from her mouth, he just turned away from her and walked down the steps, thinking for a rash moment that maybe he should leave the city behind after all.

Soon enough, the general atmosphere of the room, the laughing faces of the people around him, it all started to get to him. He growled and spotted a long table covered in a cloth at the edge of the room, laden down with all kinds of lush food from all kinds places from all across the world.

Without thinking he dragged himself over, running a hand down his face. He leaned forwards over the table, busying himself by staring at the incredible explosion of colors the display of food greeted him with.

"I kind of had the same idea." He turned to see Sensha sitting on the table, her bare feet dangling just above the floor with her dress shoes nearby. She sighed despondently. "Its difficult watching that creep pick on Bolin like that."

He followed her finger as she pointed towards a spot near the steps, where a familiar richly dress idiot laughed obnoxiously. His fists clenched in recognition of the beating he received from that guy. "Yeah. Haven't talked to you that much recently."

Sensha gave him a wry grin. "After tomorrow, I'll be starting my duties as Eska's bodyguard. We can still catch up though." The wryness disappeared as the edges of her mouth dropped, all humor with it.

"Actually I- I'm thinking of leaving the city soon."

She quietened down. And nodded. "Oh. Have you told Korra yet?"

"I don't know if I should." He glanced at her. "You found me when I failed to get to her the first time. Back when Tarrlok had her. And you were there when we made it to that cabin, up in the mountains. I think I've only just realised that it was only because of you and Boto, that I was even able to get a second chance at finding her again. And I still blew it."

"Still blaming yourself for that, huh? That's old news." He arched a eyebrow and scowled at the smile on her. She folded her arms and looked at him. "I don't think that running away from Republic City will make you feel any better."

"Blaming myself only seems right. If I hadn't accepted Tarrlok's offer... I could have stopped him from taking her in the first place."

"That's some pretty sketchy logic." She sighed and looked at him. "So you're set on leaving the city?"

"Facing Telei only made me realise that she's a target as long as I'm around."

Tai closed his eyes and stopped for a moment, drawing in a deep breath of the fresh air being blown by the night wind. He looked at the thick stone rail guarding the edge of the balcony and moved towards it.

He hooked his fingers underneath the tie around his neck, loosening it and shrugging off the black suit jacket. He kept the suit jacket draped over his forearm as he leaned on the rail, looking at Celestial Square below and the buildings surrounding it.

Laughter rose from the room behind him for a second, lifting away into the night air. He sighed as he looked up at the sky, noticing that it seemed to have cleared up, allowing a magnificence sea of stars to shine their best on the city below.

It seemed so long ago since he had arrived in the city, chased his destiny in that warehouse. He knew he didn't have a plan for what came afterwards, but looking back on it now... no plan could have prepared him for what came next after that night.

He met her.

"Hey." Korra stepped out onto the balcony, framed by the bright light coming from within the doorway. "Can I join you?"

"Oh. Sure." He made sure to keep his gaze on the sky rather than her as she leaned on the railing as well, scratching at the slightly worn stone with her finger.

The wind picked up and she muttered something, shifting uncomfortably as she shivered against the cold air.

Not knowing why, he smiled and uttered a short chuckle. "Sorry, I don't have my coat with me."

"Heh." She glanced at him and rolled her eyes, quickly looking back down at the railing before he could react. She allowed herself a small smile a few seconds once she realised he had stopped looking at the sky, focusing on her instead.

"If you don't mind a idiot like me saying... you look beautiful." It was a titanic struggle just for him to gather up the words, let alone the courage, to say those three simply words to her. He found that he had nothing to worry about, when she returned his gaze.

"It feels a little strange to hear that." She shrugged. "Just being honest." Korra looked at him. "Thank you."

Once again he found himself getting lost in the calm blue of her eyes, and for a moment a crazy thought entered into his brain, about to obliterate everything else with its presence when he suddenly stopped himself, and let the thought go. "So did you come out here for fresh air?"

He nodded slowly, suddenly unsure of what to say to her, wondering if he even should say anything. "What's wrong? Tai?"

Tai smiled shakily for a second before letting it drop, taking a deep breath as he turned to her. "Listen, Korra-" He winced, on the verge of shutting himself up there and then before his resolve strengthened and told him to do what he needed to. For her sake.

Looking into those blue eyes, and at the soft curious expression on her just made it even harder. But he pushed through it. "Once the match is over tomorrow... I'll be-" He growled and willed himself to say it. "-I'll be leaving Republic City."

That minute after, seemed like a entire year to him.

"Oh." She blinked twice and nodded. Nothing more. "Um. Good luck. Then. I think I'm needed inside."

He watched her go, his fists clenched.

* * *

土


	23. Interruption

土

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

Just the latest bad news she had to deal with.

Korra leaned against the column, and her arms folded as she stared up at the ceiling of the little hallway she stood in, told to wait there by Tenzin as he sorted through the mess of paperwork on his desk, quietly celebrating whenever he found a scroll with a gold cap on each end.

She huffed and swung her gaze down to the floor. So what if Tai was leaving the city?

Didn't matter to her. He could take care of himself. Korra nodded to herself... but then sighed again, letting go of another breath. Maybe she should talk to him; catch him before the match started.

Her eyes tightened. No, she had her duty as the Avatar to focus on. She couldn't let him, or her own problems, or _Mako_ get in the way of that. She'd be letting everyone in Republic City down if she continued like this.

"Korra?"

With a start she looked up, seeing Tenzin standing with hands behind his back and a look of concern directed at her. She managed a smile. "Something bothering you, Tenzin?"

Her master answered with a shake of his head and a smile. A genuine smile unlike hers. "I saw the storm from over there. So Tai told you, then?"

Korra's face dropped and she took on a dark look as she nodded stiffly. "Yeah."

"His family is important to him. Finding his brother has been on his mind for quite some time now."

"I- yeah." Korra sighed. "Just wish he said something sooner." She said quietly, dropping her gaze to the floor again. She narrowed her eyes and looked at her master. "Did you know the whole time?" Korra's tone didn't have a bite to it, but still held a edge.

Tenzin didn't answer her immediately.

"Yes."

She nodded once, looking down at the floor and thinking back to the conversation she had with that Airbending White Lotus member at the Compound. "Tenzin."

"Hmm?"

Korra's stance was uncompromising as she clenched her hands. "When I was at the South Pole, I met a air disciple. Said she was your student one time. She has the same eyes as Ta-" she ignored the thoughts about him leaving and continued. "-As Tai. Who is she?"

He looked at her and nodded, turning and walking towards one of the windows looking out onto the island, hooking his fingers in one of the shutters and looking through. "I think you already know."

Someone knocked on the door to the room. Tenzin stepped away from the window and walked past her. "Its open."

She folded her arms across her chest and looked away at the sight of Tai standing there. "I should go. Gotta get ready for the match." Making sure her eyes were on nothing but the ground she made her way towards the open door.

"Sorry- uh- I'll get of your way."

Korra had only paused a second to give him time to move. She stormed past him, catching the movement of his shoulders slumping before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

The doorframe shook a little with the force of the door slamming into it, the only source of sound in the room.

"Damn it." Tai muttered.

He moved towards his master's desk, leaning against it and glancing to the side at the view of the island through one of the windows.

"I would have thought you would be ready to leave by now." Tenzin said quietly, striding over with hands clasped behind his back.

"Not until the match is done." Tai said while looking down at his feet. He looked up at Tenzin. "Guess I owe her that much."

"Oops - let me get out of your way, Avatar!"

Tai blinked twice at the sight of the earthbender walking in out of the hallway. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing. I just wanted to fulfill my promise to you guys. After all, you did save my life back at the Southern Air Temple."

Tenzin exchanged a look with his student. "We have the time." He nodded at Ling. "How did you even reach the temple?"

A grin grew on the strange earthbender. "Arrived by boat actually." Ling shrugged. "Then I climbed."

"Whatever, I want to what's up with the Dai Li guys we fought." Tai tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "He called you Agent."

"Yes... more explaining for me to do." Ling looked down at his hand and flexed it for a moment, his fingers curling inward. "What do you know about the Earth Kingdom, Tai?"

"Uh... its got a king?"

"A good enough answer, I suppose." he smirked and shook his head, but continued on. "The Earth Kingdom is very large and spread out, at least twice as large as the United Republic, the Fire Nation, and both Water Tribes put together. That means that anyone trying to rule the country has a lot of ground, and a lot of people, to govern. As you could imagine, this can be a bit of a problem."

"And that is?"

"The fact that the ruling family must factor in the needs of millions of people over such a wide area is no small task."

"The point of this history lesson?" Tai grumbled, folding his arms and getting a little impatient.

"I am part of that royal family."

It took him a little longer than usual to process that. "Huh." Tai whispered to himself, trying to picture a thin and ponytail-wearing guy like Ling in the Earth King's robes. It was a little difficult.

Ling turned to Tenzin. "Did you know this, councilman?"

"Suspicions at the most. I didn't know that the Earth King had any children."

"Not many do. Its bad for the family business for that to be public knowledge."

"You still haven't explained why that Dai Li guy called you Agent."

He looked at Tai. "Part of my cover. You met the Earth King during the party down at City Hall. What was his behavior like?"

"Short. Gruff. Bit like a rock, actually."

Ling nodded and suddenly dropped his gaze for a moment. "Damn, they got to him."

"What's the problem?"

"The Dai Li have my father entirely in their thrall. I went to the Southern Air Temple to look for anything that could tell me how to snap him out of it. I was also expecting to meet someone there who could help my cause."

"Your cause? Who was meeting with you?" Tai was genuinely curious, especially now that he had mentioned a cause. He wasn't at the Temple for nothing.

"Well... she's a Airbender, just like you guys." Ling heaved a sigh and held up his hands. "But... seeing as the Dai Li beat her to the punch, she would have stayed away, probably searching for me even now."

"So what's your plan then?"

"I was thinking I might visit my uncle."

* * *

_Pro-Bending Arena._

The noise. The shouts. The cheers. The crowds. Usually that was just music to his and put him at ease during the time before the match started.

Now... with those fancy boxes affording primo views of the playing field and with the knowledge of who was in them watching him perform... he felt a little sick in his stomach.

He wished Mako was here.

Bolin shook his head and took a deep breath, finding that staring at the floor was the only thing that would send his stomach flipping. Next to him Pabu chittered and paced back and forth along the bench, stopping and squeaking whenever the crowd roared outside.

"Feeling it, captain?" He tried to force himself to grin, to laugh hearing how nervous Sensha sounded as well. But he just couldn't do it, only able to focus on the fact that everything in the world seemed to depend on him going out there and _winning_. Doing his best wouldn't cut it. Asami needed this win. _He_ needed this wind. After the South Pole and what Korra told him had happened in the cave... he needed something normal to focus on.

"Spirits, I'm a wreck." She muttered to herself, picking up Pabu and placing him on her lap. She picked up her helmet and stared into its reflective visor, stroking her fingers down its surface as a way of finding something to do. She looked up at the open doorway and the brightly lit hallway outside. "Hope Korra gets here."

Bolin noticed a shadow on the floor in front of the doorway and stood up, expecting to see Korra and-

"How are my shining stars?"

His face fell at the sight of the large man stepping into the room, a overbearing grin on his soft features as he stooped underneath the top of the doorframe to allow room for his extremely tall top hat, expensive and well-made with a hatband in the shape of a crown wound around the roof of the hat.

He wiped the frown away and looked over, a nervous grin settling on him as he held a thumb up. "Raring to go, Butakha!"

"Enthusiasm for the sport, that's one thing you've got over that no-good brother of yours, kid!" The sleaziest smile possible showed on him as he stepped further into the room. "Now all you need to do is show it to the audience! House is full today," he squatted in front of Bolin, ruffling his hair. "The whole city, the entire _world_ is watching you out there kid. So shine and smile for the crowd-" He stabbed the gear emblem on Bolin's chest with a chunky finger. "Otherwise you'll let down that pretty sponsor of yours."

Sensha fought to hide the level of distaste she had for the man as he walked, no, _sauntered_ away with unearned ease. She grimaced, thinking she could feel a little of the pressure Bolin was under just by listening to the crowd out there and how they seemed to bay and bark. Still she had to cheer him up. "It'll be fine, Bolin. We'll knock it out of the park!"

He nodded a little, giving her a smile. Even though he probably didn't feel like that right now, a smile just seemed to come naturally to him no matter what he was feeling. He sighed. "Eska is probably out there. Watching."

She hesitated, sparing a paranoid thought that Bolin knew she did, she put it out of mind and smiled back at him. With a start she realised she had her hand resting close to his and wondered if she should...

Inwardly she sighed.

"You'll impress her." Again, inwardly she sighed, knowing that her duties as the pampered princess's bodyguard would begin a few days from now.

Out of the corner of her eye Bolin perked up, breathing a sigh of relief seeing Korra enter the room. "Korra! You're here!"

"Yeah." She walked into the room, looking down at the floor the entire time.

"Are...you okay?" Bolin asked, his earlier nervousness forgotten. "Hey, you haven't seen Mako have you-"

Korra's eyes flashed as she slammed a palm against a nearby locker, shaking the entire room and creating cracks in the wall behind it. "Don't worry about him. Just focus on the match," She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Okay, _Bolin?_" It didn't matter to her that he was trying to help. As far as she was concerned, none of that mattered now. Just the match.

"O-Okay."

* * *

_Republic City Sewers._

"Are you sure about this?" Yem craned her neck upwards, holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the blinding daylight shining on her from the open manhole cover above, she nodded while she waited for him to reach up and slide the manhole cover in place before landing in front of her, his boots echoing up and down the tunnel.

"We went through a lot of trouble to get this thing away from Rorik and that old man. We have to see this through, Tarrin." She had to admit, this was the first time he had ever spoken like this, like he was the ones with the doubts gnawing at him and not her. A little role reversal.

Despite her confidence in her words, he laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled crookedly. "Just making sure you were motivated, Yem." She reached her hand up to cover his.

"We can do this. It'll be simple."

"Right." Tinges of mirth touched his mouth but he didn't say anything. "Let's get to it, then. Even if I don't trust the two of them."

She plucked his hand off her shoulder and began to walk down the tunnel, keeping to the edge to not disturb the shallow water slowly stagnating in the center. "You remember the layout? The maintenance door leading to the arena flow station is just up ahead. We can cut through there to get to the dropoff point. Nice and quick."

True to her word the fuzzy shape of a door presented itself to them as they continued down the tunnel, a heavy looking wheel attached to the front.

"Come on." Yem's boots echoed off the walls as she jogged the rest of the way, splashing in the water for a bit before stopping in front of the maintenance door. "Tarrin?" she turned to look at him.

He had a grimace on him as he stared down one of the tunnels branching off from the T junction they stood in. He noticed her. "I heard movement. Could be shark-rats. Or something else. It was headed in the other direction though."

Her mind conjured up images of the Grey Man and that sword of his. "All the more reason to cut through here."

Tarrin nodded as she grabbed both sides of the wheel and started to twist, grunting with the effort of doing the kind of work she wasn't cut out for. With a gasp she let go of it, her breathing a little fast.

"While I love to see you exert yourself... why don't we get this open?" Tarrin nudged her in the side as he had a go, grabbing the wheel with both hands and rolling his neck, moving his feet to get a good stance going and position himself for maximum leverage and momentum before, finally, he went to twist.

With a resounding grind of metal on metal the wheel didn't move at all.

He glanced at her and she swore his cheeks reddened a little. Tarrin loosed a annoyed grunt and unclasped one of the sheaths for his sabers. He slid the thin black blade out and handed it to her. When she took it, he wedged the rigid sheath in between the spokes of the wheel.

Grabbing both ends he twisted once again. The leather rattled and shook and the metal released a noise that grounded on both of their ears before the wheel finally moved, freely spinning on its own. He put his shoulder to the door and pushed it open.

With a drawn-out squeak it swung inwards, admitting them into a steam filled passageway. Yem nudged his shoulder as she slipped past. "This is why I keep you around, big guy."

Tarrin shook his head in amusement as he stepped into the dark tunnel behind her, stopping to close the door before following her through. He caught a glimpse of a half-hidden crimson circle behind the pipes lining one of the sides, and he focused on it.

"This was where we were holed up before we hit the arena. I can't believe I still remember." Yem said as she held onto the doorframe ahead for balance before ducking through.

"I liked it better when there were people here." A bitter grunt came out of him. "It's just like the rest of the outposts we came back to. Nothing but ghosts."

She took a while to respond as she waited for him in the middle of the next room, a metal staircase behind her. "Are you alright?"

"I will be. Always takes a bit to get used to."

Yem nodded as he moved past her and went up the steps, his face unreadable. She knew why. He believed in the Revolution wholeheartedly, just like everyone except her. This and the handful of other outposts the Equalists had established became their home as they worked to help the people. Or at least, thought they were.

When she met up with him shortly after Amon's betrayal, he wouldn't even look at her for several weeks. Not when she came clean and told him who she worked for.

There were some pretty harsh words exchanged between them.

"Yem? You alright?"

She blinked twice and ran up the steps to catch up, reaching the last flight in a couple of seconds and seeing him standing in front of the open entryway to a large and dark space. "Yes. Just thinking. "We're near the central flowchamber right?"

"Just up ahead."

"Good. We're not far."

They went together into the next room, going past smashed in wooden crates, turned over stools and tables crashed in the corners. She glanced at Tarrin's back. "So. Once we do this. What are you gonna do?"

He stopped in his tracks and peered over his shoulder. "I thought it'd be time to finally see Tai again. I've been unable to for so long I- I want to go see him. See how he's doing on his own." Tarrin smiled to himself before picking up the pace again. "It's right here. Come on."

Yem nodded, checking that the long cloth-covered object strapped to her back was safe and secure. The mouth of the tunnel widened out into a large and spacious chamber, several tunnels running from it like theirs did.

She frowned, about to jog into the room to get a better view, maybe they were just late and. "Damn waterbenders aren't here-" she hissed, only for Tarrin to grab her collar and wrench her back into the tunnel with him. "Wha-"

"Hold up. Trouble." She listened carefully as a echoing thud came into the tunnel. Yem arched a eyebrow at Tarrin as he carefully advanced into the chamber, a hand hovering near one of his sabres.

They stopped at the sound of wind blowing through the tunnels. Behind them something scuffed against the stone. Tarrin and Yem both whipped around, seeing grey eyes looking back at them. "Found you." Telei said.

Without a chance to breathe, Telei whipped his hand up and seized the air in Tarrin's throat. He grunted and fell to his knees, struggling to rise as his hands flew to his neck as a reflex against the enormous pressure cutting off his lungs.

Yem sprinted forwards, whipping out her tanto and fueled by desperation as she speared it towards his extended hand. Telei grunted as the sharp metal bit into his forearm, breaking his focus on Tarrin and bringing onto her instead.

She danced backwards but was too late when his other hand snapped forwards and closed around her throat, she gurgled as light from a grate in the ceiling caught the edge of his blade as it rushed towards her impossibly fast. Ice filled her body, flowing from her shoulder, and a scream tore out of her.

The last thing she saw was those grey eyes burning with hate for her when her vision went white, her ears rang horrendously and her heartbeat rang loud.

Tarrin scooped Yem up, slinging her over his shoulder and sprinting down the tunnel away from the stunned airbender.

* * *

In the announcer's room above the playing field, he had a little amused smirk on as he flicked a switch on the microphone's base. He always loved this part.

"Well, folks. Its time for the match of the century! I hope those seats are comfy, because this showdown will be a doozy!" He also enjoyed speaking in such a ridiculous fashion.

Shiro leaned back from the mic a moment, a little smile on him as he took in the excitement of the crowds below, sensing a veritable _surge_ of electricity in the air as a circular shaped part of the arena, smack dab in the middle, opened up to a maw of blackness.

He nodded and leaned back into the mic just as the announcer -always wearing his flamboyant red scarf - appeared, a confident smirk on his pale and narrow face as he stood in full view of everyone, his every movement wild and exaggerated. "Fooolks!" He drawled, gripping onto the microphone with wild fervor as he nimbly spun around and held his hand up high. "What a special treat I have for you today!"

"Guri steals the show every time, doesn't he?."

The former reporter spun around in his chair, an eyebrow arched at the sight of Butakha standing in the doorway to the room. "Mr Butakha?"

"Shiro, my old friend. I have a little... favor... to ask you. I'd much appreciate it if you didn't use this one as a advertising slogan." The business man cracked a sleazy grin at him as he stalked into the room, patting a thick envelope against his palm.

Before he could blink the envelope landed on his lap with a thud. "I've got a interest in this one. The Ferrets aren't part of it."

"This is-" Shiro didn't even have to say it, in his time scooping up dirt on the triads he had seen these kind of deals before. Although those bribes had much larger sums of money involved.

"Remember that talk we had about your family?" Butakha's grin was still there, but had taken on a decidedly more sinister look. "I can send someone over to discuss our business."

Shiro scowled, his heart pounding at the thought of thugs hurting his wife or little girl. His hand shaking, he spun around again and focused his attention on the silvery surface of the microphone and not the thick yellow envelope on his lap.

Once the vile sleazeball left the room, Shiro noticed a slip of paper underneath the envelope. He quickly unfolded it, glancing upwards and seeing that the teams had just gone on the elevators up to the main platform from their locker rooms.

He scowled at the contents, balling up the paper and tossing it into a nearby bin. He refused to do this.

Footsteps reached his ears, and he spun in his chair again - keeping a hand close to a drawer near his leg containing a discharger glove- a precaution since the Equalist attack on the arena the year before.

A young girl, looking about the same age as his own daughter saunted into the room, her golden eyes flashing with a predatory gleam as they focused on him. A older woman and man stepped in after her, wearing a crimson colored assortment of gloves, pants, and most strange of all - old styled Fire Nation armor.

"Oranis." He noted, already looking for signs of that brute she called father.

"Shiro Shinobi. Its alway been a dream of mine to meet you."

"Butakha's insurance?"

"His _leash_."

His knuckles whitened as every thought in his head pointed himt towards the drawer but he refused, knowing what would happen if he made a bad move in their presence. He nodded curtly and turned back to the windows overlooking the platform below, picking up the microphone by the base and bringing it to his lips.

* * *

"Intro-ducing, the winning team from last year's finals! The Fire Ferrets!"

Parts of the roaring crowd changed over to boo's and catcalls at the three teens walking along the catwalk onto the playing field, waving up at them.

Waving up at the crowd and trying to put as much energy and enthusiasm as possible into it, Korra felt glad her face was hidden by the helmet's clear faceplate - otherwise the crowd would easily notice the look of frustration and anger on her.

"Good luck Bolin!" She arched a eyebrow, looking up towards the VIP box to see Eska waving her arms enthusiastically with a huge smile on. "I believe in you!"

She managed chuckle seeing Unalaq's look of surprise at Eska's outburst, while next to her Desna sunk lower into his seat. She looked over at Bolin to see the hugest smile on him and a bounce in his step. She also noticed Sensha's quiet huff.

Her eyes scanned the crowd for any sign of Tenzin's bald head or his orange clothes, in the hope that she could at least take comfort in the fact that he was out there watching and rooting for her.

She felt something inside her skip several times as her eyes landed on he very thing she didn't want them to, and tried to look away from _him _but couldn't. She was helplessly ensnared in his dirty golden eyes, thinking thoughts that she knew shouldn't even be there considering how they had last left things-

Something or someone at the top of the stands was moving about, thankfully drawing her attention away from Mako and onto them. At this distance all she could see of the person was the crimson color all over their clothes.

"And their opponents! The very best of the crop from all over the world! The Lion-Turtles!"

The announcer's nasally and enthusiastic shouts brought her attention back to the playing field. She quickly let her knowledge of the game take over, and automatically took a position on Bolin's right, watching Sensha do the very same on his left.

Their opponents had hard cold expressions on behind their helmets, and with expert and practiced precision moved to their starting positions.

It wasn't long, before the shrill whistle of the announcer signaled the start of the most brutal match she had ever been in.

* * *

"Ergh!"

Nisha sighed and stood up, pointing her torch down the dark maw of the tunnel ahead as she looked over her shoulder at Hei with a look of disapproval. "Suck it up, Hei. Its just sewer-water."

The young man shook his boot out, throwing flecks of dirty brown water all over the walls of the tunnel. "Geez, waterfront sewers are the _worst_."

"Just keep up. I don't want to be down here any longer than I have to." She shook her head and continued on, her boots making splashing noises in the water as she led the way ahead.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what he could say to her to break the ice.

She tried narrowing her eyes to pick out anything beyond the light being emitted by her torch, but so far she could just see a endless expanse of pitch black nothing that stretched on and on. Nisha rolled her eyes hearing Hei jogging through the water to catch up with her. "Learn to keep up, sergeant." She said with a curt nod to him, saying nothing else.

The tunnel seemed to have grown smaller, making her feel slightly uncomfortable and making the silence between the two of them even more restrictive.

"So... did you like the flowers?"

He probably had a grin on him as he had said that, Nisha came to a stop. The debacle she had been part of a few nights earlier haunted her thoughts as she cast her gaze down to the turgid water, currently finding it more appealing than looking at him. "Focus on the job, Sergeant. I won't say it again." She made sure her tones were clipped and professional, trying to get him to drop the subject of 'them' entirely.

His response took a few seconds to come, giving her a pang of regret. "Yes, Lieutenant."

They continued walking down the tunnel, Nisha guiding them with her flashlight shining the way.

A few minutes passed when she finally decided to look back at him, instantly regretting it when she saw the dejected look on Hei. He just stared at the ground in front of his feet, his face unreadable.

Nisha sighed and stopped in her tracks, her hand clenching slightly. "Hei. They were lovely-"

Voices up ahead echoed down the tunnel towards them, sounding like they weren't that far away. She looked at him, holding up a gloved finger to her lips for a moment before moving again, going slow to make sure whoever it was wouldn't be alerted by the water in the tunnel.

She switched off the torch suddenly, plunging the two of them into darkness. "Earth-sense."

Hei touched her shoulder briefly to show his understanding.

Together the two of them slowly lifted a foot each into the air and out of the water, careful of any splashes that would give them away.

A few seconds later when she had her knee bent and her foot dangling in the damp air of the tunnel, she exhaled.

Her foot slammed down into the water, and what little color there was in the tunnel was replaced with cold dark hues of grey and brown. Instantly two glowing figures shaped into being up ahead, one of them kneeling and manipulating something with their hands.

No doubt in her mind that they definitely weren't here for the fun of it, she lifted her arm and kept it straight, launching a wire out from underneath the thick fabric of her coats armsleeve.

One of the glowing shapes jerked and cried in alarm as her wire connected, wrapping around their waist and pulling them off their feet. Waiting a second for the second one to respond wasn't needed, when they received the same treatment courtesy of Hei.

"They're out cold." Hei whispered, retracting his wire back with a snap of the wrist and moving forward. Nisha followed him, flicking on the flashlight and directing towards the two unknown people.

"This isn't good." She heard him whisper with a sharp intake of breath as he knelt down near one of them. "They're both Agni Kais."

A beeping started up, and the two of them instantly focused on a blinking red light near ground-level.

More red lights seemed to jump out of the gloom at her, casting a angry red strobe effect.

Without even thinking she grabbed Hei's hand and wrenched him to his feet, helping him down the tunnel. She tore at a pocket on her coat, getting a grip on her handheld and bringing it to her lips. "Commander its Nisha! Bombs have been planted in the main tunnel line connecting to the arena! Suspects have been subdued, but we need some backup!"

* * *

Makei couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Damn." He muttered to himself, before bringing the radio back up. "Out of there you two, double time it!" He clicked off the radio and put it back on his hip and turned to his nearby officers. "Ishi! Washi! You heard that?"

"Yes sir!"

"Loud and clear!"

"Coordinate with your men, make sure they keep the exits clear to get people out of the building. Stop the damn match - push around Shinobi around, I don't _care_ just get the message out: We need to evacuate the arena!"

"_Commander!_" His radio squawked.

He brought it back up." What is it?!"

"_Nisha and I just ran into another group of Kais! We're trapped!" _

Makei rubbed a hand down his face, before focusing on Hei's spooked tones. "Keep it together, Sergeant! I need the two of you up here! Survive. That's a order!"

A plume of fire briefly flared up at the other side of the arena, reflected in his eyes.

Sergeant Washi ran up to him "Agni Kai's are scattered throughout the stands! They're targeting our men!"

"Blast it, where did they come from?!"

Shouting and the sounds of oncoming blasts of fire silenced him. He turned to see a group of red-clothed figures approaching.

* * *

Korra couldn't concentrate in time to register the thick disc spinning towards her at a insane speed. A distant shrill noise, similar to someone shouting distracted her, and that was all the opening needed.

Only the breath being taken out of her snapped her out of the self-made daze, her thoughts crashed and tumbled along with her as a flash of green on the ground whipped past.

Her momentum continued to carry her at a fast pace. Desperately, she threw out a arm and gasped as her shoulder wrenched in ways not supposed to be explored. She gritted her teeth and fought through the pain, trying to employ her usual brute force method of pushing it down.

She could hear someone shouting at her in alarm as the deep hum of the second nixie tube resounded. "Korra! Korra, get up! We're not out of this yet!" It took her a few moments to realize it was Bolin speaking, his voice sounding fuzzy and high-pitched to her ears.

Brute-force alone was all she could rely on to keep her going. She pushed away from the floor, shaking her head and slapping the side of her helmet to stop her vision from swimming and spinning.

Her eyes caught a flash of movement on the edge of the Lion-Turtle's first zone and she moved in for the attack, warmth tickled her skin and put flashes on her visor as she sent blast after blast at the nameless earthbender.

Frustration took over her movements as he ducked and weaved with a fluidity most earthbenders couldn't match, instantly returning after each blast passing him by with a rapidly spinning disc.

Each time they came from different directions, off-balancing her and forcing her to dance all over the second zone on the Ferret's side of the field. The crowd's roars seemed to fill with energy each time she was forced back a step, putting a growl on her features. She would show _them_.

With a yell she twisted around a pair of discs, skirting the grated waterways lining the edge of the arena and drawing a large stream of water into the air. Recklessness fueled her movements as she whipped and twisted, lashing at her agile opponent with water and when that failed, settled for throwing loose balls of it at him. Her projectiles were slow and lagging, despite her intimate knowledge of the body movements they wouldn't fly properly-

He dodged around them without having to go far, staring straight into her with a lopsided smirk.

"Korra, watch out!"

Her head tried to focus on Sensha's warning, but it was too late. A massive warmth billowed into her stomach from out of nowhere, its roiling shape barely holding for a second before exploding with immense force, sending her careening over the side and into the open air above the waters below.

* * *

Her breath caught several times as she gasped for air and coughed out great mouthfuls of water.

She panicked for a few moments when she registered the light catching on the thousands of glass shards falling in the air, bewildered and confused as her eyes laid on the sight of the burning airship above the arena and the screaming in the stands above her.

Trying to collect herself and _focus_, her eyes settled on the shadowy area underneath the hexagonal playing field, holding it up with thick columns. A gasp came out of her at the sight of several glowing red lights spread out across the supports and the crimson-clothed people standing by them.

* * *

Tenzin stood up from his seat and pointed at the ref. "That was a illegal move!"

The bespectacled man standing on the nearest platform overlooking the playing field shrugged and held up a red fan, pointing at the Lion-Turtles as they advanced into Zone 1 on the Fire Ferret's side.

"Yeah no fair! Boo!" Meelo blew a raspberry in the ref's direction and jerked his thumb towards the ground.

Tenzin sat back down in his seat, outraged at the blatant ignorance coming from the referee. He sighed and shifted in his seat, swinging his gaze upwards towards a gold and green observation box on the other side of the stands, keeping a eye on the thin bald headed man seated right next to the Earth King.

The thin man stood up from his seat and made his way past the other officials seated in the box, disappearing from view.

He didn't have time to dwell on it when he heard screams coming from close by, barely audible above the roaring of the crowd. He noticed crimson clothed figures moving through the seats like ghosts, flashes of fire occasionally coming from them.

He stood up at the same time that Tai did, the boy's eyes narrowed at the sight of them and a hand on his sword.

The entire cavernous space rumbled and shook terribly.

The crowd's roaring stopped, quickly being overtaken by screams of terror and surprise as flashes of fire surged throughout the arena. Up above, the glass shattered as a airship sitting above the arena buckled and twisted, before being torn apart in a massive mid-air explosion.

"Saikhan..."

Underneath the specter of the rapidly dying giant, Tai's eyes widened when he spotted the hooded figure standing at the edge of the broken glass dome capping the ceiling, motionless as he drew his sword, then turned and walked away like the sudden and terrible event gripping the arena interior didn't faze him in the slightest.

Something inside screamed and raged, and he didn't even spare a look at Tenzin as he grabbed the top of the seat in front of him, using it as leverage to spring into the air above the frightened heads of the crowd.

Pushing at the air, he catapulted himself into the open air in between the playing field and the stands, his view of the broken roof briefly being replaced by the waters of the arena's bowels and the girl who had just broken the surface of the water.

She disappeared as he coiled his body and took a deep breath. He exhaled as the air whirled into a spinning column at the bottom of his feet, extending into the waters below.

The wind column rocketed him up, up towards the broken roof and the burning specter of the airship dying in the sky above.

* * *

Sensha and Bolin managed to tear their eyes away from the burning airship above to look at each other, each terrified and at a loss at what to do.

Before their very eyes, the small elevator the announcer appeared from during the start of the match opened up, its innards whirring and working as the machinery underneath them rumbled to life.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the haughty golden eyes that surfaced, belonging to a sharp feature young girl with striking features rivaling that of a princess. "Oranis." Sensha whispered, unable to tear her sight away from the brown block of metal resting in the girl's hand, two red and green buttons on its surface protuding from its surface.

"The Agni Kai's own you now."

The girl's thumb pressed down on the red button, and the ground underneath their feet rumbled and shook violently. The entire playing field swayed as explosions set off across the stands, drowning out screams with a fiery roar and consuming light.

Shock froze her to the spot, as the cavernous space began to ring aloud with terrified screams among the sounds of fireblasts and cables being launched. Above all this the wind howled constantly, yet didn't it didn't do much to fan out the fires starting to claim the stands and the majority of the arena.

Behind them a faint beeping started, and Sensha felt even number as she turned just in time to watch the third zone on the Fire Ferret's side disappear, its red surfacing being consumed by a fireball billowing outwards, hungrily consuming everything in its path.

Despite herself, she managed to will body into movement at the sight of the approaching inferno and sprang to action, only one thought on her mind. Save Bolin.

A thousand punchs threw themselves into her stomach all at once. She cried out and screamed, her hands clawing at the air as it caught fire with unbearable heat grabbing her from all sides.

Smoke lifted from her exposed skin as she pushed her hands forwards, locking her feet in the center of the fiery maelstrom. Each breath she took in only made her cough even more, bringing precious tears to her eyes before they steamed and bubbled and hissed.

Until finally, the heat, the flames, the inferno was too much for her. She collapsed backwards as the flames immediately began to swirl inwards, free to do so now that she couldn't fight them.

She shuddered and whimpered as they licked at her back, trying her best to shield Bolin with her body and reaching within to use something or try anything-

The flames roared angrily as they were pulled backwards, immediately rushing away from her and Bolin, leaving sooty air and scorched flooring in their wake.

Sensha's breaths took up her hearing as she looked upwards, seeing a wildly surging tower of water rising above the platform with Korra balanced on top of it, her eyes golden and raw as the firestorm coiled itself around the waterspout beneath her.

The Avatar's golden eyes flicked upwards as she shot through the ceiling into the smoke-choked sky.

* * *

土


	24. The Wind Fights, the City Tears

土

* * *

_Outside the Pro-Bending Arena, Republic City._

Everything shook with each step he took, each one carrying a risk of off-balancing him and slowing him down.

He would not _slow down_.

That wasn't something he could afford when the _bastard _was right there before his very eyes.

The old man took his time walking across the arena's roof, skirting around a few loose pieces of glass in his way but never stopping, not even paying mind to the burning and twisted metal skeleton hanging in the sky above him, smoke billowing from numerous holes in its structure as it slowly but surely started its descent towards the roof of the arena, completely covering the building and the platform it stood on in gargantuan shadow.

It was tough just trying to get a grip on the constantly moving roof underneath his boots, let alone keeping the old man in his sights. Screams lifted up from the arena below as he ran, his constantly shifting surroundings not letting him draw his sword.

But his surroundings wouldn't let that happen. Above the airship groaned as it another blast gutted it, putting the final nail in its coffin and sending burning swarms of red hot shrapnel shooting downwards.

One of them speared into the concrete his back foot had just lifted away from, sinking down at least five inches before being stopped.

More of the deadly metal whistled past his ears, and he was forced to hold his arms upwards, projecting a cushion of air that shook each time it caught a piece of shrapnel in its grip, resulting in his arms quickly getting tired and his vision fluttering as his heart started to pound in his ears.

Finally the roof stopped rumbling long enough for him to get into a proper sprint, letting him close in on the old man walking towards a nearby fire escape on the edge of the roof.

Warning bells rang in Tai's head, at any moment he could have been airborne and gone within seconds from the arena.

His question was answered when Telei lifted a hand, a detonator in hand.

There was no time to even register the danger as the roof underneath cracked and rumbled, breaking open as tremendous amounts of pressure forced its way out into the open air in the form of a bulging mass of fire and gas.

Instinct drove him to cover his face with his arms as the temperature of the air around him rose sharply, and the fiery part of him woke up and took over. The fireball raged around him and filled his vision with nothing but bright fire and burning heat, but miraculously left him untouched.

A yell tore from his throat as he tumbled head over heels through the air, curled in a ball and coughing as smoke got into his lungs. He gasped and hacked, slamming back down a few seconds later with a crunch.

Every rib, every muscle screamed in pain but he couldn't hear them, still coughing as he breathed nothing but smoke. His head didn't feel right. He went to get up, to get away from the breaking roof when another explosion rocked the area, picking him up with a invisible hand and throwing him into the open air over the outside of the arena, tumbling as smoke curled up from the hem of his longcoat.

Below, people screamed as his vision caught fuzzy flickers of crimson clothed figures, the sources of more fire as they closed in from the sides of the arena towards metalbenders protecting the flanks of the large stream of humanity flowing towards the pier, the only way out of the arena and back to the mainland.

His vision flickered and the air started to whistle past his ears as gravity grabbed hold and directed him downwards, in a spinning descent towards the surface of the platform below.

A few voices in the crowd screamed in fear as they saw him falling towards the ground.

At the last moment before the surface of the platform could rush up to meet him, something inside him cried out and took control. Instinct made him open his eyes and lift his arms, keeping them straight and splaying his palms as he pointed them towards the smooth surface of the platform now only a short distance away.

He concentrated, fighting through the haze of pain and smoke-addled thoughts and managing to find his center, he concentrated every last scrap of energy on getting chi flowing into his palms, and as his palms tingle his body shuddered as he exhaled.

The air below him formed into a rough cushion, constantly moving and unstable but enough to at least slow his descent without killing him. In theory.

A second time he felt all of the air in his lungs rush out of him as he slammed into the cushion chest-first, nearly blacking out right there as his momentum still kept him moving, bouncing him off the cushion and back into the air before finally depositing him in a twisted lump on the smooth surface of the platform.

He didn't move, couldn't even move and lie on his back to get more precious air into him.

But none of that mattered at the sight of the old man calmly walking onto the pier connecting to the mainland, like nothing had happened.

Anger, hate, for _him_ lent strength to the boy and forced him to stand. He swayed incredibly, but didn't fall as he limped after the man.

Soon, miraculously, he caught up to the man who was now only a short distance ahead. He drew his sword, making sure to make it rasp against the leather of the sheath loud enough to reach the old man's ears.

His idea worked and Telei stopped dead in his tracks.

"Student."

Tai struggled to keep his eyes open as he coughed into his sleeve, shaking his head to keep his mind focused on the old man. "Sur-" he coughed and sputtered, every breath a labor as smoke remained in his lungs. Recovering, he wiped his mouth and smirked. "Surprised to see me?"

"No."

The boy nodded and drew his sword, quickly finding that even holding it out in front of him was a tough sell. Curiosity overtook him. "Why attack the arena?"

"A distraction and way to keep my end of the bargain." Telei glanced over his shoulder and turned around, flipping the hood down and revealing his face. The old man had a gaunt, hollow feeling to his face, as if all but a scrap of life had been sucked out of him, at least enough to keep a shell occupied. His hair was a dirty grew and fell in limp stringy clumps around his face, in a messy style similar to Tai's.

But his eyes, in spite of the almost skeletal appearance of his face, his eyes blazed with a cold energy. There was no expression on him at all as he looked at his student. "You're injured."

"Well, you kind of detonated a bomb underneath me." Tai replied, focusing on just standing up. A scowl appeared on him. "A lot of people were hurt in there. Part of the 'distraction'?"

"The more the better. My gift to the Agni Kais."

There it was, that confirmed it. With anyone else there would have been some kind of emotion to their words, but with him it was just cold. Businesslike. Almost like talking about stepping on insects. Tai definitely knew that was Telei standing there, in the flesh and in the land of the living.

He found he couldn't stop his voice from rising in anger. "So that's it then? Just blow up a arena just get to Korra?"

"To draw the girl out." The air took on a high pitched whistle as Telei reached a hand above his shoulder and drew a simple and plain sword from its sheath, a slight curve on its blade as he held it loosely by his side pointed to the ground. At the same time the air around him shimmered and vibrated, creating a low hum that set Tai's teeth on edge.

He heard shouts coming from the direction of the arena, and glanced over his shoulder to see a group of metalbenders running towards the pier, wires at the ready to protect the crowd trying to push past them and get onto the pier.

"So we won't be interrupted." Telei lifted a hand and without warning the air around them started to pick up in speed, being blown by a gale force wind starting to take shape. Tai watched as the gale force winds expanded, forming a almost perfect dome of rushing and highly pressurized wind pulverizing anything caught underneath it.

The front of the crowd screamed as a few of the metalbenders were dragged in by the spinning dome of wind, being sucked into its currents and spat out into the water or flung high into the air above the bay.

Tai gritted his teeth, breathing heavily as he realized escape for both him and the crowd would be impossible now. Unless he managed to take down his old master. Alone. Without Korra or anyone else as backup.

Tai balanced on the balls of his fight, fighting to keep a firm grip on his sword while also standing upright in the maelstrom. He advanced, cautious not to exert himself while being on the edge of collapse.

He tested his firebending by trying to generate a few sparks in the space between his fingers, but they were immediately snuffed out by the high-velocity wind. Tai growled and launched a stream of air straight at Telei, only for it to dissipate uselessly into the maelstrom.

Telei tilted his head as he advanced. "I wish to see how you have progressed with the Jian, student." He held onto his own sword with a firm grip, pointing the tip of the blade towards his student with his free hand hovering just behind the hilt, index and second finger pointed along its length like the fingers of fate. He tutted. "You aren't even forming a talisman with your free hand. Poor stance."

Something snapped in him and he threw all caution to the wind, breaking into a sprint at the infuriating old man. "Spare me the lesson!" He growled and droves his sword towards Telei's exposed side.

The old man flicked his wrist, easily deflecting the undisciplined blow and forming his free hand into a fist, crashing it into Tai's sternum.

His mouth flew open with a gasp, his vision fluttered as he started coughing again. The blow only put more pressure on his already suffering lungs and sent him stumbling backwards, off-balance with a loose grip on his sword.

Anger fueled him and put him on the attack, and he came at the old man with a series of furious swipes, jabs and slashes from all directions. Each one being blocked, deflected or turned back on him with greater precision and lethality, soon resulting in the boy being disarmed and a gloved hand wrapped around his throat.

Looking into the boys eyes, Telei grunted and squeezed his hand. "You and your brother have been a thorn in my side for quite a while." Tai gasped and gurgled as his mind processed what the old man had just said, lifting his hands up to the vice grip around his throat and trying to pry it away as his vision fluttered dangerously.

A fist crashed into his stomach, his eyes bulged as he gasped for air, tumbling to a twisted heap on the ground at Telei's feet, a sword dropping towards him.

* * *

Tenzin made sure everyone was present as they stopped just outside the main doors of the arena, quickly stepping to the side to get out of the way of the constant stream of terrified people.

He spotted Lin as she walked up to him, shaking her hand and retracting a metal blade back into her bracer. "Lin, what's going on!"

"Seems to me the Agni Kais have just gotten bolder." She looked at all of them, noting the scared look on Pema. "Are you all alright?" Her voice softened in concern.

"There's still people in there." Pema whispered, stroking Rohan as he bawled at the level of noise around them.

"My men are doing everything they can-"

"Daddy, where's Korra? I don't see her out here!"

He knelt down to hug Ikki. "She's fine, sweetie." he murmured into his daughter's ear, holding onto her hand as he straightened and looked over at the pier and the dome of dirty grey wind covering its width. "Telei. He did this."

At the thought of Telei, Lin's eyes narrowed. While looking at the rapidly spinning dome she could just barely see two figures inside. One of them on the ground. "There's someone in there with him!" She started to move forward, to run and show Telei the business end of a cable when Tenzin's hand fell on her shoulder.

"Lin, stop! You need to make sure everyone gets out of the arena!" There was something unreadable in his eyes as he withdrew his hand and looked into the dome. "I'll deal with Telei." His voice took on a harsh tone, something that was _rare_ from him.

Not questioning him, she nodded. "Be careful, old friend." Tenzin looked at her and then back at his family, telling her all she needed to know before hugging each and every one of them before running off into the crowd in the direction of the pier.

"Everyone, keep close to me." Lin ordered.

Kaze whined and barked as he shifted uneasily on his paws, obviously torn between his desire to protect his master and his order to protect Tenzin's family. Tenzin stopped near the Spirit-Wolf. "He'll be fine, Kaze."

He straightened and made his way through the crowd, sometimes using his shoulder to push past a few people that refused to move at all, his eyes glued on the two blurry figures in the center of the violently spinning dome of wind.

Questions started to bombard him from every angle as the people in the crowd noticed who he was. "Councilman, what is going on-"

"My families still in there, you've got to do something!"

"How did you allow this?"

Those ones stung the most, but he had to ignore them, focused on one goal only as he finally broke through the edge of the crowd and found the area around himself clear, the pier and the dome directly ahead.

He adjusted his mantle as he walked towards it with purpose, splaying his palms and blasting missile after missile of tightly compressed wind at the dome. Each one sank into the mass, being absorbed in with no effect.

Inside one of the figures had been lifted off the ground by the other with one hand, kicking their legs furiously only to be stilled by a blow to the stomach.

Tenzin narrowed his eyes, trying to put down his rising anger at the man hurting his student as he exhaled and came to a stop outside of the gale force wind's influence. He exhaled and took a deep breath, taking one step forward and pushing both palms towards the dome.

Air erupted from his open hands as a tightly controlled cylinder, its 'surface' completely smooth and spinning at a constant speed and rhythm that betrayed the chaotic gale-storm contained within it.

The mass slammed into the dome, and tore a grunt out of Tenzin when his feet started sliding forwards on the smooth metal surface underneath. Immediately he lessened the flow on the cylinder of air, but it still threatened to drag him into the spinning maelstrom.

Muttering a word he rarely used under his breath he cut off the flow of energy going into the cylinder, resulting in the wind once at his disposal being snatched away by the hungry dome.

Panting he wiped his brow, sinking into hopelessness at the sight of his student being savagely assaulted on the other side of that impassable dome, by a man Tenzin had trained with for many years.

A faint crackling noise reached his ears, and almost reluctantly he tore his gaze away from the interior of the spinning maelstrom to look at the roof of the broken arena behind him, being greeted with a blazing maelstrom of fire, on a meteoric descent towards where he stood.

Looking close he spotted the brown-skinned girl in the middle of the airborne firestorm, her normally blue eyes glowing a incandescent gold with the strength ages behind it.

He couldn't do anything except duck for cover, pushing a pulse of air that shunted him in the opposite direction towards the edge of the pier walkway, where the waters of the bay waited.

The back of his neck prickled and he felt sweat on the back of his head as he dropped into the waters, just as the inferno, fueled by ancient wisdom and present rage, met the eye of the storm.

Air struggled to find its way into him, robbing him of the chance to at least get a punch or a few kicks to try and dislodge Telei's hold on him. "Once again you leap blindly into action, student."

Tai's chest heaved with the effort of drawing in enough breath to keep conscious, still he managed to lift a hand up to wipe some blood from the side of his mouth. He managed a smirk. "Let me have another go- ergh!"

The boy gasped for air and wrapped his arms around his stomach, coughing and sputtering. Telei's lip curled in distaste. "Always one for smart remarks. Your mother was exactly the same."

"Stop it-" Without warning he slammed into the ground at Telei's feet, dropped like a sack of potatos by him.

"I trained you for one purpose and you failed. Both of you, in fact." Telei shook his head. "Your mother turned out exactly the same. Tenzin saw to that."

Tai's blood boiled. "Don't even talk about her you-" Telei planted a foot on his chest and pushed downwards, slowly constricting Tai's air supply.

"Silence." He lowered the blade back towards Tai again, the curved tip dangling dangerously close. "Such a shame. You could have done so much with what I taught you."

The tip halted in its passage towards his chest as Telei had briefly frozen in place, fire being reflected in his eyes as he stared at some massive source of light.

Absolute pandemonium gripped the dome as a meteor of blazing fire and brilliance crashed through the gale-force winds like they were nothing more than a summer breeze, casting dancing shadows over the contained area.

Telei took one look at the boy on the ground before walking back a few steps, watching as Korra stalked towards him, her limbs ablaze with golden fire and her eyes caught alight with golden brilliance. "Hmmph. Just on time." He quietly remarked, holding his sword out by his side and assuming a ready stance.

There was no ceremony, no words from Korra at all. She just charged at him, nothing but rage and anger inside of her at the man that would _dare_ hurt her friends again.

He dodged every punch she threw, ever kick she lashed out, barely moving the entire time.

This only added to her anger, suddenly her kicks and punches stopped as she jumped backwards and landed low to the ground, she swept her leg out in front of her and the metal of the walkway squealed and groaned as it ripped itself upwards, closing on Telei from all directions until they overlapped over his head and trapped him completely.

Her heart didn't even skip a beat while she walked forward, creating a small but incredibly hot jet of fire in her palm and holding her arm out, spewing a great gout of fire at the surface of Telei's metal tomb.

It wasn't long before the metal began to warm up immensely, heat beginning to radiate outwards from it as its surface started to warm to a cherry red.

In her head, a conflict raged as Kyoshi and Aang wrestled for control, the other telling her to burn him alive while the other pleaded with her to snuff out the flames and help her friend escape from Telei.

The decision was made for her, when the twisted metal sphere exploded from the inside, unleashing great torrents of wind into the air and snuffing out the flames being projected from hand.

Korra growled at the sight of the old man, not even a scorch mark on him as he looked at her. "Impressive. Raw strength never overcame obstacles, however."

With a look of deep thought, Telei sheathed his blade. He knocked a piece of twisted and scorched metal away with his foot before placing his palms together and taking a deep breath.

"Korra!" The use of her name was enough to fully take her out of the state. The light in her eyes faded away and she blinked twice, glancing behind to see Tenzin running up to her side. She took a deep breath, to ready herself for another attack on Telei when the air in the area suddenly picked up speed, being whipped around by gale-force winds that slammed the two of them off their feet.

A flickering sphere of highly pressurized air had formed around Telei as he looked at the two of them, not even sparing a glance at the injured boy on the ground. The sphere lifted up into the air high above their heads. Telei looked down at the two of them as he swept a hand across his body with a sharp gesture, a crescent shaped slice of wind drilled down into the surface of the pier, slicing down like a knife through butter until it was completely severed.

He repeated the process again, slicing a massive chunk of the pier away and letting it slip under the waves, cutting off the arena from the mainland.

Tenzin brushed some dust from his shoulder as he got his feet, managing to fire a few blasts of wind at Telei before he sped away, heading for the skyline of Republic City, many of the buildings belching smoke or being wreathed in fire, mirroring the arena behind them.

"Republic City..." He whispered, eyes widening for a moment as he took in the widespread direction and chaos taking place just a few hundred meters away from where they stood.

Above one of the buildings, a airship fired massive streams of water at the flank of a burning office building as a massive fireball slammed into its side. The airship lost control and slammed into the building, a dull thud being heard by the two of them.

"That bastard..."

The two of them ran over to Tai, struggling but trying to rise to his feet as he fought to keep his eyes open. "Stay still!" Korra knelt down next to him, a careful hand on his shoulder while her mind raced to figure what she could do.

Looking over at the city made her mind draw a blank as pure shock sent int. She had no _idea_ what to do. "Tenzin, I-"

"Stay with him Korra." Her master commanded, standing up straight and looking at the blazing firestorm starting to take hold among the distant city's buildings and narrowing his eyes. "I'll be back soon. I need to get this under control."

She stared up at him, desperate to do something to help the city. She went to stand, "But Tenzin-" Her airbending teacher's hand touched down on her shoulder, a suggestion telling her what he needed.

"I don't know what Telei is planning, or what the Agni Kais have to do with it, but its clear that his objective is to capture _you_. Please, stay here until I get back." A hard light entered his eyes. "I'll be back soon."

His hand left her shoulder as he walked towards the broken and jagged edge of the walkway, a air scooter pushing him up into the air. Sitting cross legged on it, he shot over the edge of the broken walkway, quickly reaching the other side and departing for the stricken city.

Korra stared without seeing at Republic City, blindly registering the shadowy specter of a airship caught in the firestorm and going down, listing further and further towards the ground where the blaze was only more furious. "Heal me." She heard Tai grunt.

Automatically she nodded, and her gaze shifted over to the waters lapping the supports of the walkway underneath. Quickly she lifted her arms and drew a long ribbon out of the water and into the air nearby.

Her mind chose to focus on her lessons under Katara, drawing on something she was experienced with rather than dealing with the present crisis facing her. She collected the ribbon into a thick glob, and flattened it out into a thin rectangle of softly pulsing water.

Without needing to be told Tai took of his longcoat and laid it by his side. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath as Korra ran the healing water over his arms, working on each one for a minute at the most before healing the bruises and damage on his chest and back.

Soon her work was done and she couldn't help her gaze sliding back to the burning city on the horizon, unable to focus on anything else but _that_.

"So what are you-" Tai coughed and bit down a groan, putting a check on blacking out as he managed to get up from the ground, slowly but painfully. He wiped his mouth and closed his eyes, hissing as he swallowed past a painful lump in his throat. "So what are you waiting for, huh?"

She slowly turned to look at him, eyes still wide as her stricken mind took a few seconds to begin processing normal speech again. "Tenzin-"

"Telei said something about my brother- I'm not letting either of them _get away again_."

"Tai, you- you're injured-" She whispered, more to herself than him as she continued to just stare at the burning city. "And the city- its on _fire_ - I don't-" Further and further she found herself retreating inward, trying to reach her core to find some semblance of order and purpose. Korra shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. "I-"

"Snap out of it, _Avatar!_" Korra blinked twice, realizing that was the first time he had seriously called her that ever since they met. Eyes wide, she looked at him. "I didn't think you were one for sitting out on something like _this_." She focused on his finger as he pointed at Republic City. His gaze softened as his eyes met hers. "He got away in the South Pole because of me. I let this happen." His hand clenched into a fist. "I need your help to fix my mistake, Korra."

Korra didn't say anything for a few seconds, managing to stop herself from the stricken city and staring at the ground instead, her thoughts turning to plans and ideas. "Okay. You've got me." She nodded to herself and took a deep breath. "So how can we fix this?"

Tai dragged a small yellowed piece of paper out of a pocket from inside his coat, unfolding it and holding it out to her. "We stop Telei." He said with a little smirk. "We'll need transportation to catch up-"

She nodded. "Got it covered." Bringing her fingers up to her lips she whistled, waiting a few seconds to hear Naga's answering call.

* * *

_Inside the Pro-Bending Arena, Republic City._

People screamed everywhere around Mako.

It was all he could hear apart from distant rumbles or the far-off whine of fireballs and streams being exchanged between them. He was off, making his way down the rapidly emptying stands as fast as he could, eyes fixed on one point in the cavernous space on the one person in this world that had always needed him.

He ran along the walkway, his vision of the wrecked playing field constantly being blocked by the groups of people he weaved in and around, on occasion a few hands tried to grab him but he shook them off, not having the time to deal with confused bystanders right now.

Bolin was counting on him.

Steadily, the number of people on the walkway started to increase as he got closer to one of the exits out of the arena, quickly finding that he was forced to stop in front of a impassable wall of people, trying to push their way past each other for a chance to get into the tunnel and out of danger.

A growl surfaced on his features as his view of the central playing field was completely blocked by the sea of people nearby.

Looking up at the radio booth above gave him an idea. He turned and ran, heading up the nearby stairs people used to access the stands at a breakneck pace. Just as the top of the stands came in sight he heard a whooshing noise coming closer and closer.

He stopped and reared back as a fireball slammed into the metal plating of the nearby wall, leaving a smoking dent in it. A group of Agni Kais advanced towards him, scrambling over the seats as they flung and kicked blasts at him.

One of them formed a whip and swept it towards him from the side, leaving him precious little room to dodge.

Narrowing his eyes he ducked underneath the whip, feeling the skin on the back of his neck prickling from the heat of its passage, before snapping back up and launching a few fireballs in response. A few of them managed to hit the straggling firebenders on the flanks of the group, putting them out of commission in no short time.

The whip came rushing back but he hopped over it, running up the stairs to find a better position with more space and footing. As he reached the top of the stairs someone stepped around the corner of the radio booth, shoving a jet of flame towards his face.

Instinct made him twist down and around the side of the new attacker, but he wasn't fast enough to snap back up with a attack of his own, he felt a searing pain on his back as he was blasted forwards through the air, tumbling along the upper walkway of the stands for a moment before coming to a stop.

Mako gritted his teeth as he spotted the Agni Kais in the stands already rushing up to where he lay, and heard heavy footsteps from behind belonging to his new attacker.

He readied himself, rolling onto his back and gathering a flow of energy to his palm, creating sparks that would bloom into a full blaze that the attacker would never see coming-

Something nearby clicked, and a voice cried out as the crackle of electricity ran through the air.

The Agni Kais shouted in alarm as they retreated from where him, shouts quickly giving way to sighs as they were hit by a electric charge or thudded to the floor courtesy of a boot kick to the side of the face.

A gloved hand reached down into his vision, belonging to a certain someone with long luxurious locks of raven hair.

"Need a hand?"

"Asami?-"

"Ms Sato!" Asami's grip on his hand was strong as she pulled him up, keeping a hand on his shoulder in case he was too injured to stand when a group of people including walked up to them. She spotted Verick and Iroh among the gathered faces, filled with relief that they were okay. To her disappointment Pok and Wu were also among those gathered.

Fire Lord Rin's eyes narrowed before everyone else noticed the Agni Kai behind Asami and Mako, who had gotten up and was now sprinting towards them all with his hands wreathed in flames. She shook her head and pushed past the two of them, unleashing a solid right hook into the man's jaw and sending him to the ground, his flames well and truly snuffed.

The Firelord shook her hand and glanced at the two of them, ignoring the shocked look on their faces. "Who's the kid, Sato?"

"Officer Mako, he's a friend."

Pok and Wu pushed their way past Unalaq and his children, getting dirty looks from Iroh and Verick in the process as they stopped in front of Rin. "Fire Lord Rin, I'm afraid we can't dawdle any longer, we should leave and find a safe haven." Wu almost visibly shook with fear as he glanced at the arena and the firebenders overunning it.

"Zip it, Wu." Rin fixed the withered old man with a cold look. "We're not leaving until the situation is contained and everyone can get out of here."

"But the Avatar is nowhere to be found!" the old man argued. "We need her help to stop this crisis!"

"With all due respect Councilman Wu, I believe that my niece has the city's interests close at heart. She would not abandon her duty as the Avatar." Chief Unalaq gave the Fire Lord a nod as he stepped forward, but still kept close to his children. "I will stay behind to assist with the evacuation." Immediately Kirima and Desna looked at one another.

"But father-"

Eska cut across him. "Bolin's down there, I can't-"

Unalaq sighed and placed a hand on both of their shoulders. "Kids, I would never forgive myself if either of you were harmed. Its too dangerous for you to be here."

"Two of our friends are still down on the playing field, we need to get them out of here." Asami folded her arms and looked at all of them. "Verick, Iroh. I want you two to escort the councilmans and Chief Unalaq's family to the evacuation zone. Lin Beifong and her officers can help you guys get to safety. Air Temple Island is probably the safest location in the city right now."

Rin nodded. "The Chief and I will assist Lin's metalbenders in taking down the Agni Kais, that should give you two enough time to get to your friends."

"Yes." Asami looked down at her glove, walking towards the stairs and tuning her discharger glove. She stopped and looked over at Eska with a tight smile. "Bolin will be fine. Don't worry."

The girl nodded, just before Iroh and Verick led them away along with Pok and Wu.

She noticed the dark look on Mako's features and sighed. The rasp of steel on leather reached her ears and she looked over at Rin, who had just drawn a silvery colored calvary saber from a scabbard on her hip. "Good luck, Sato. Come on, Chief."

Unalaq nodded and followed her back along the walkway the group had come from, disappearing around the other side of the radio booth.

"Let's go." Mako had already started down the steps by the time she looked. Asami followed him down, hoping that he had a plan beyond blasting fire at everything.

Up ahead he had stopped in front of the railing overlooking the lower walkway. "Getting to the play field will be a problem." Asami looked at him with a sidelong glance, concerned about the dark look in his eyes.

Mako "They're not on the play field." He said mechanically after a few seconds of staring at the central part of the arena. "They must be in the water or something." He placed both hands on the railing separating the seats from the walkway running around the bottom of the stands, pushing down and swinging his legs over, vaulting the rail and landing on the smooth metal walkway with a light clang.

Asami followed him, walking towards the edge of the walkway and peering over the fencing and into the waters below. "I can't see them."

"Let's get a better look then." Mako replied with a gruff tone.

She yelped as his hand wrapped around her waist, holding her close as he directed a blast of fire flame at the floor, pushing them into the open air over the water.

They began to pick up speed as they dropped down, only a few precious seconds before hitting the water when Mako directed another blast behind them and pushed them forwards, towards the lower platform of the play field.

A massive storm of fire rushed out from the within the shadowy recesses of the platform, about to occupy the space they were about to fall into. Mako acted quickly, directing a hand down just as the firestorm reached them. The air began to warm to a unbearable level just as he shot a blast of fire down into the maelstrom of fire.

The blast kept them in the air over the firestorm and pushed them towards the shadowy platform. Mako grunted, rolling to absorb the shock and impact from hitting the metal floor at such a speed. Nearby, Asami did the same. She sprung to her feet just as a lone person assaulted them, a strikingly beautiful girl with murderous intent in her golden eyes.

Asami trapped her foot in between her arms and twisted, throwing the girl to the floor. "Oranis!"

The girl recovered and danced away towards the middle of the dark area, stopping next to two unconscious bodies on the floor. "Looking for these two, I suppose? It was easier than I expected to lure you down here, Mako." She giggled while looking at him, fire forming over her hands.

His eyes narrowed as he focused within to gather up a charge, not having time to deal with the crazy Agni Kai right now.

Oranis nudged Bolin's cheek with her foot. "You know, your dear brother is kind of cute... once the arena has burnt down I'll fish him out of the rubble and take him home with me, what do you think?"

"Quit talking you idiot!" Mako whipped his hand forward, two fingers extended to let the charge in his body release into the air. The bolt of lightning slammed Oranis off her feet and sliding off the opposite edge of the platform with a yell into the waters below.

Hearing a splash below he growled and ran forward, the only thing on his mind being revenge against her and the Agni Kais, a flame covered his hand as he prepare to leap off the platform and into the waters after her, when Asami grabbed his hand. "Mako, stop! We need to get Bolin and Sensha out of here!"

"But-"

"She isn't worth it! I have a quick way out of here we can use to get to the hospital!"

* * *

_Republic City, Above the Central Borough_.

Tenzin had him.

Up ahead hovering just above a cluster of high-rise apartments a few blocks away from Celestial Square was a police airship, its search lights cutting through the smoke and haze to light the streets below, for both police and citizens to find their way out of the smoke.

On top of that airship, Telei looked down at him.

The airship didn't look like it had taken any damage, so the reason why Telei had stopped on it concerned Tenzin greatly. He focused on getting to where Telei stood, taking the glider into a steep climb up, passing the nose of the airship in the process.

"Alone at last."

Tenzin landed on the end of a railed walkway going across the length of the airship's roof, his eyes on Telei the whole time as he folded Jinora's glider and held it with both hands.

Telei stroked his chin. "It was interesting meeting my student again. Your influence on him shows." He noticed the hard look on Tenzin and chuckled, short and harsh. "You know the only way to beat me is to kill me. Both you and Aang weren't strong enough to do it though."

"I have a feeling that's about to change." Tenzin murmured.

"Really? You're quite fast to leave your precious Air Temple values in the dust."

"Save your breath. Why are you after Korra and Tai?" Tenzin practically growled, not in the mood to play Telei's games.

"Simple, the girl is the Avatar, and the Avatar is power. What other reason do I need?"

"You and I both know that's not your goal. Too simple for your tastes."

"Hmmm... I guess you're right about that. As for my student? He is something of a... asset... that I require use of." Telei stopped stroking his chin and reached a hand up to his shoulder, slowly bringing out his Jian and bringing to bear against Tenzin. "Now I suggest you start saving _your_ breath."

Tenzin managed to keep his focus on Telei as the latter shimmered out of view, shifting into a blur that raced towards him with the tip of his sword vividly tangible. He waited, a heartbeat before the sword would touch him, and he flicked the staff across, using a short but powerful burst of wind to deflect the blade away from him to knock Telei off-balance.

Telei immediately struck with his fist crashing towards Tenzin's shoulder, but he managed to slip under the blow, sending a few quick jabs into the blademaster's stomach and finishing with a quickly generated air sphere that split apart and sent Telei into the air with a grunt.

Something in the back of his mind told him that this was a ploy but Tenzin chose to ignore it, focusing his efforts on the man that threatened the entire world with devastation and anarchy, and had now returned to do it once again.

He rocketed towards Telei at a reckless speed, going so fast that a jetstream formed in his wake. Two masses of air gathered in his palms as he outstretched his arms, aiming two masses of wind at Telei, not giving him a chance to recover.

The twin streams of wind spun around one another, spearing on a dead course for Telei with unerring accuracy. They didn't connect as Telei swiped his sword, deflecting the entire stream down onto the surface of the airship, the incredible force behind each mass pushing the entire airship down.

Swipes from Telei's blade sheared off tiny shavings of wood from the staff in Tenzin's hands, each one only missing by a bare margin of error that was quickly getting smaller.

Tenzin danced backwards as he blocked each strike with Jinora's staff, unable to get react against the furious onslaught. Telei suddenly reversed his grip on the sword's handle and swiped from the other direction with impossible speed, taking off a good chunk of the stuff and leaving a gash on Tenzin's shoulder.

The sudden pain distracted him long enough for his guard to relax just a little, allowing Telei to knock the staff out of his hands and shatter it into a few large pieces before letting it drop towards the ground below.

He fought the urge to swallow as Telei's blade rested against his throat. "You could never beat me. Don't have the stomach or the skill." His eyes swung downwards for a moment, looking at the airship hanging below them. "Do you know how simple it is to break today's machines?" He aimed his hand downward, gathering a dirty grey mass of wind in his palm until it took the vague shape of a sphere.

Without warning it launched out of his palm, rocketing into the airship and piercing through its metal skin with no trouble at all. The Airship shuddered and rumbled, and smoke began to belch from its insides as it started to list forwards.

Telei's blade dug into his skin a little more forcefully. "I have a appointment with City Hall I must keep. It was good seeing you again, Tenzin."

A fist took the breath out of him, leaving him coughing and sputtering as Telei released his grip on him, letting him fall towards the stricken airship at a incredible speed.

He slammed into the metal shell of the airship, further knocking the breath out of him and almost knocking him out there and then. His hands weakly scrabbled for anything to get a grip on, but found nothing as he began to slide down its side, pitching headfirst into the air below the airship as it began to fall towards the ground.

Just as he flicked up his hands, his vision went black.

* * *

Telei's eyes narrowed as he came to a stop in the air, hovering just over the center of the large square that lay before City Hall. He looked back at the downed airship, checking for movement from the gnarled wreckage.

He turned and speeded over the tops of the buildings ringing Celestial Square, eyes fixed on the wreck on the roof getting larger and larger in his vision.

Landing on the edge of the roof he took a few steps across the decrepit concrete and came to a stop in front of the largest rent in the airship wreckage.

A few seconds passed before a sound from below the building reached his ears.

Annoyed at the distraction he walked towards the edge of the roof and looked down into the alley between the building and its neighbor. The two equalists from before, the young man supporting the girl he wounded beforehand. Telei's eyes narrowed and irritation filled him as the two of them turned down a side-road, the first of a route that would take them straight to city hall.

"Perfect timing." The airbender master muttered, sheathing his blade. They were predictable in thinking they could be lose him in the tunnels under City Hall. Tossing one last look over his shoulder at the burning wreckage, he scanned the alley below for its manhole.

* * *

土


	25. The Chase and the Loss

土

* * *

_City Hall._

Ling averted his gaze, looking away from the streets thick with violence that fed into the great square. Reminded him a little too much of Ba Sing Se.

Heading up the steps as fast as possible, his eyes narrowed to slits and a hand always hovering near the hilt of his scimitar. The other he kept free and at the ready by his side, ready for any surprise visitors the Director might send his way.

Ling knew that he most likely would have done so anyway, taking advantage of the distraction the strife the city was experiencing at the moment was something he wouldn't pass up.

Having climbed the steps with no interruptions to slow him down he quickly jogged towards the main pair of thick doors allowing access into the storied building.

He rested his gloved hand on it for a moment, the pebbles covering the glove shifting and moving around to open a gap for the palm of his hand to rest against the doors.

Concentrating he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, breathing out through his nose before opening them again. He nodded, thinking he now had a good grasp of the buildings layout which meant he could find his uncle in much less time.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself he gripped the edge of one of the doors and pulled, already starting to sweat with the effort of just dragging the giant slab of wood and stone out enough for him to slip inside. As soon as the space between the doors widened enough he inched his way through, his foot catching on the edge of the door. He stumbled inside, the door slamming shut behind him and sending a cavernous echo throughout the dark hall.

Leaning forwards for a moment to catch his breath, he looked around the room for a bit before breathing out a deep breath and smirking at his own lack of muscle. "Alright. Where are you uncle?"

* * *

_Under Celestial Square_.

Tarrin snapped his foot forwards into the chain link door, breaking the rusted through hinges and denting a few of the links as it fell with a sharp crash onto the metal flooring. He shot a glance behind before heading through, making sure he didn't scrape her against anything.

He ducked through, eyes searching the gloomy space for a place to set her down. His eyes fell on a nearby workbench, dusty and cobwebbed, but much more serviceable then anything else in the room. His breathing slightly frantic he went over to it, gently pulling her off of his shoulder and sitting her up so her back was supported by the wall.

Yem groaned and opened her eyes with a sharp intake of breath, blinking wildly for a few moments before her eyes found him. A shudder wracked her as she touched a finger to the bloody jagged mess that was her shoulder. She labored for each breath as she dry swallowed and bit down on another scream trying to rise up.

"Don't- don't move" his hand squeezed hers as she slowly nodded, a pained expression on her as she slowly tilted her head to look down at the wound. Her face paled as blood continued to ooze out of the rent in her shoulder, her breathing going faster. His hand shot down, scrabbling around the pouches on his belt before he found the right one and pulled out a few rolls of gauze.

"This'll-"

"Just do it." she muttered.

Tarrin nodded, looking down at the roll before holding it over her shoulder, unwinding a length before stopping and running it under and over her shoulder. She groaned, just barely stopping herself from clamping her hand down over the wound and getting in his way.

"How long was I out?" she mumbled, not having the strength to speak normally.

He held eye contact with her. "An hour. But we're far away from him, now." Tarrin jerked his head at the nearby wall, indicating a large poster with thick black and grey lines running all over it, with blue lines travelling in between them as a interconnected web.

She managed to focus on the map, spotting a thick red dot near the center of the web with with a arrow indicating it. She mouthed the words next to it. "City- City Hall? That's-"

"At least fifteen blocks between us and him." Tarrin finished for her, continuing to wind the last of the length around her shoulder, before tying it off and stepping back with a concerned look.

Yem closed her eyes for a moment and heaved a breath, before opening them. Through gritted teeth she managed a few words as she closed her eyes with a relieved gasp. "Went straight through. Clean cut." she said, finishing his words for him.

"We're near a slip tunnel going straight to the Hospital, we'll-"

"And the drop-off?"

Tarrin sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head firmly. "I'm dropping _you_ off at the hospital. I'll handle the rest-"

"Your capacity for stubbornness seems familiar." Yem's narrowed as she pushed Tarrin away from her, twisting to grab a canister from her belt before crying out and clamping it on her shoulder instead. Breathing heavily she glared at the hooded figure as he stood in the doorway, his sword undrawn.

As for Tarrin he immediately drew both sabers and ran at Telei, stabbing forwards with a growl. The old man stepped around each jab and thrust he tried, before a grunt forced out of him as Tarrin reversed the handle and slammed into his blocking forearm. Telei's hand shot forward and grabbed Tarrin's collar.

Tarrin quickly shot a look at her. "Eyes!" she quickly shielded herself from a blinding white light, the old man hissed in pain and annoyance as Tarrin went over to her and looped his arm around her shoulder, urging her through the opposite door and out into another tunnel.

He practically pushed her down the tunnel ahead of him, a sabre in his other hand as he constantly threw glances around them as their hurried footsteps echoed all over the place.

She glanced over at him and offered a tired smile. "For a moment there, I thought you were going to face him on your own."

Tarrin chuckled through his frantic breaths as he stopped in the middle of a intersection. "I don't have that much of a death wish." His hand squeezed hers before he nodded and took off again, taking her down one of the tunnels, its end coming into view abruptly.

"A dead end, what-" She saw a nearby door, smaller than the others she had seen and hidden in the very corner in shadow. Tarrin made his way to it. "Brace against the wall. I need to get this open."

She nodded, moaning as she moved her shoulder the wrong way before pressing her back against the wall with all her strength. Her breathing started to grow heavy again and her head felt too light as he put his shoulder against the door and slammed into it, again and again.

With a shrill squeal it came free and the door swung inwards, opening up a steamy tunnel going down at a angle with a channel cutting the floor in half. Tarrin rubbed his shoulder and guided her over. "Okay, just keep going and you'll reach the hospital soon enough."

"You-" Footsteps echoed on the walls, cutting her off as Tarrin glanced behind him.

He nodded quickly before leaning in and landing a kiss on her forehead. "I will not let him get past."

Before she could react he had moved her into the small tunnel, shutting the door with a resounding boom. Yem growled and banged on the door, shouting and raging and losing herself as he turned away and drew both of his sabers to face the approaching hooded figure.

* * *

_Republic City._

They had lost sight of Tenzin over a hour ago.

Naga constantly panted as her mighty muscles worked, the Polar-Bear Dog's ears whipping about as she constantly watched for obstacles or distractions that would slow her down.

Korra's gaze listed over her surroundings, numbly taking the sight of a wrecked store with its front wall completely blown apart just a few meters away, its insides smoking and scorch marks visible everywhere inside its walls.

Before it was too far behind them for her to pick out, she managed to make out the shape of a Koi fish above the entrance, its once illustrious golden surface covered by dust and char.

Suddenly Naga barked a warning and she looked up, her mind being snapped back to what was happening in front of her as a Satomobile swerved to avoid the lumbering Polar Bear dog and her riders, its occupants clearly terrified.

"Watch the road!" Tai hissed behind her, eyes narrowed as he scanned their surroundings for any dangers.

Swallowing past a dry lump she nodded, not saying anything as she took a firmer hold of the reins and kept her eye on the road and the maze of satomobile wreckages ahead.

Suppressing a cold jolt down her spine she guided Naga towards the first part of the wreckage, keeping a tight hold on Naga as she hopped onto a wrecked satomobile's roof, crushing it even further with her weight before springing off and hopping back onto the ground on the other side.

Once the road had cleared up again she urged the Polar-Bear dog back to the pace she ran before, each bound clearing a few meters at a time and quickly getting them towards the end of the side street, where it turned into Avatar Road.

The ground rumbled and the air itself seemed to vibrate. Korra made Naga skid to a halt in the middle of the T junction, going numb at the sight of the broken airship crashed on top of the apartment complex ahead. Its skeletal structure quickly being revealed by the fire wreathing its entirety.

Screaming, sounding quiet and distant, reached her ears. A shiver went through her body and her fingers tightened on the reigns. "Korra? Hey, snap out of it!" She turned slowly at the faint sensation of his hand on her shoulder, all of her concerns about him leaving the city completely gone, paling next to the devastation in front of her right now.

"There's people inside it… trapped inside." She whispered. Her eyes wide as she looked at Tai. "I'm the Avatar. _This shouldn't be happening_-"

"KORRA! You want to stop this? We need to catch up to Tenzin, we need _his help_." Tai's eyes locked with hers for a second, hard and uncompromising.

"I-"

Tai growled as she fell silent with listless look. He took action. "Naga, keep going! Find Tenzin!" He knocked the Polar-bear Dog's sides with his feet, urging her to go even faster.

The mess of gnarled and broken satomobiles Naga navigated through ended, with completely empty road replacing it.

Naga barked in alarm at the sight of a lone figure standing in the middle of the road ahead.

"Whoever that is better get out of the way." Tai muttered darkly as he urged Naga down the road, the Polar-Bear Dog turning her head slightly to look at him with a quizzical light in her eyes.

He didn't notice her wrinkle her lips and bare her teeth with a growl, tensing up her entire body and slowing down slightly.

The man up ahead still didn't move, even at the sight of such a large and imposing creature like Naga bounding towards him at top speed. Instead the only movement he showed was a lift of his forearm, and a snap of his gloved finger.

The sharp and loud crack of the man snapping his fingers sounded off to Tai's ears, and before his very eyes he witnessed the tiniest spark, crackling a bright orange, whiz through the air towards them.

Shouting came from all around them as crimson-clothed figures just appeared out of nowhere from every part of the road.

Alarm bells rang in his head as he reached back to draw his sword when the road underneath them shuddered and roared upwards at the urging of a gigantic billowing mass of warm orange originating from underneath them.

Naga howled in alarm as the explosion lifted her off the ground and sent her flying forwards, tumbling over and over with her riders being thrown from the saddle and sent sliding on the asphalt, soon coming to a painful halt.

Her head was in shambles as her vision fluttered. "Avatar. I've always wanted to meet you." A groan lifted from her and she looked up, hearing Naga's roaring somewhere behind her and people shouting, and even worse, the whoosh of _flames_.

Korra's breath caught as she looked up and found herself staring straight into a pair of gleaming eyes, colored a predatory almost snake-like gold. They looked like they were infused with the essence of fire itself. The man blinked once, his pale skin making a striking contrast to his eyes and lending him a lithe and deadly appearance.

He wore a simple tunic, sleeveless and its edges embroidered with golden trim. He made no attempt to hide his muscular arms, rather he seemed to relish in showing them off.

"I am Kazon. I have always enjoyed watching your exploits in our beloved city. Your martial skills and ability to guide fire by your whim...I find it absolutely remarkable that you are able to do so without being pure. I can only hope that I one day will be able to reach a level like your own- something that hasn't been seen since Ozai himself."

A screaming Agni Kai flew through the air past Kazon, tumbling into a dumpster in front of the nearby building. Kazon sighed to himself but didn't budge or change his expression, still focusing those predatory eyes on Korra.

"Korra.." Tai's strained voice reached her ears and snapped her out of her daze. She glanced at him as he tried to recover and get up, only serving to make the feeling of helplessness within her grow.

Kazon cut himself off, a dangerous flash showing itself in his eyes as he looked at the boy next to her. He looked back at her, and clasped his palms together and bowed. "Lady Avatar, forgive me while I deal with this creature." He straightened, his hands by his sides as he calmly addressed the boy. "Are you really certain that you should test yourself against me, whelp?"

She hissed as a lance of pain shot up her side, stopping her attempt to get up and use her bending to surprise Kazon. She could only watch as Tai charged him head-on, grey eyes blazing with anger and his blade extended.

Flames started to lick the length of his blade as he let his anger out fullbore, directing a mighty slash towards Kazon and the look of glee on his face. Tremors ran down his hands when his blade connected with the firebender's bracer. Kazon stepped forward and swung a kick into his stomach, making Tai double over and allowing him to easily wrap his hand around the boy's neck and start to squeeze.

"S-stop it-"

"He interrupted me, Avatar. It is only right." The calm way he said that sent chills down her spine as he choked the boy, not even a hint of emotion or expression on him.

"Stop it, now!"

Surprisingly, he did.

Kazon's grip lessened just a bit, enough so that the boy could draw in small amounts of air but still make escape impossible for him. "Strange, I recognize you." He pulled the boy closer, tilting his head and looking him over. "No. Not you personally. But I know that look. That fire in your eyes. Anzo was your father."

"Wha-" The questions running through Tai's head stopped when the firebender's grip on his neck increased.

"I never thought _he_ would have settled down. And breeded with a foreigner no less." Kazon shook his head as he continued to squeeze his hand, resuming his choking. "Time to snuff you out-"

Whatever he said next was replaced by a roar of pain. Korra watched from the ground as Naga roared, and someone grunted before hitting the ground.

She closed her eyes just as something lifted her into the air and started bounding towards the side-alley nearby.

* * *

_Shōu K__ǒ__u General Hospital._

"Just through this alley. Mako?" She loosed a short grunt while shifting Sensha to a better position on her shoulder, cautious not to drop her. Asami glanced back at him, knowing where she had seen that dark look on him before.

"They'll _pay_."

She looked down at her feet for a few seconds, silently agreeing with him. But there wasn't time for that now, they had somewhere to be. "I know how you feel, but we need to get them to safety first. Okay?"

He didn't answer.

Asami released a pent-up breath when he passed ahead of her, walking towards the exit to the street ahead. Even just suggesting that they do _anything_ that didn't involve going after the ones who did this to Bolin and Sensha... to her _mother_ and his _parents_... It put a sour taste in her mouth, like she was running away from what felt natural.

She ignored the primal sounding thought and stomped down on it, setting her gaze on the street ahead, filled with noise and lights cutting through the smoky haze.

Her eyes started to water a little as the smoke irritated them, forcing her to reach a hand up to rub them. "Wish Korra or Tai were here to blow the smoke away."

No answer came from Mako as he continued further out into the street, now making his way across the road to the other side.

Asami stuck to taking in short breaths as she made her way after him, going a little slower across the road to keep Sensha balanced on her shoulder. Something beeped, making her heart leap into her throat for a few terrifying seconds as a large shadowy object loomed to the side of her, its headlights cutting through the smoke with ease.

Luckily it turned down a unseen road before it got too close to her, its wheels squealing and engine rumbling the entire time. It stopped not long after, and she head doors being thrown open and people shouting in coordination with each other.

Recovering from her fright she quickly moved towards the spot where she had last seen Mako, nearing what sounded like a massive crowd of people up ahead.

She didn't even see the pair of hands that tore at her out of nowhere, pulling her forwards. She struggled to keep balance as she tipped forward, unable to stop Sensha from slipping from her shoulder. "Equalist trash!"

The unknown hysterical voice roared in her ears, its owner shaking her violently and leaving her vision spinning as she struggled to figure what was going on. "You and your father caused this! I hope the Agni's burn you alive!"

Whatever the unknown hysterical voice was about to say next didn't come when the owner grunted, their grip on her lapels disappearing as they thudded onto the ground.

Asami scrambled in the opposite direction from where the voice had came from, scared and confused when something touched her leg. She whipped about, fists closed and leg ready to lash out before she spotted Sensha's tired eyes looking up at here and her hand loosely extended upwards. "Sensha!" She released a relieved gasp and immediately bent down to help her up, looping a arm around her waist.

"Where are we?" The girl said, her voice barely reaching a whisper and almost unintelligible.

"Hospital. Safest place." She answered, gasping in between each breath, still unable to tear herself away from what that man was shouting at her just before. Sensha settled for a nod as her eyelids drooped and she nodded off.

"You need to be more careful Asami." Mako barely glanced at her, a unconscious Bolin still draped over his shoulder. Mako didn't even look strained or tired after carrying him all the way from the docks a couple blocks back. He turned away from her and stalked forwards towards a approaching medic.

"What's the commotion, everybody needs to stay calm while we- urgh!" Mako's hand shot out and wrapped around the thin man's neck, and the firebender growled as he pushed his face in towards the terrified young man's.

"I need help for my brother here. Go _get it_."

"Mako stop it!-" She pleaded, just wanting all of this to end. But he didn't look like he was going to let go, his dirty yellow eyes darkening with each passing second as sparks began to flicker between his fingers.

The young medic whimpered in fear at the sight of-

"Kid, you won't help your brother by threatening my _staff_." A water whip snapped at Mako's hand, forcing him to release the young medic with a growl towards the offending waterbender.

A very welcome sight interrupted Asami's protest, and she sighed with relief to see Kya running out of the smoke and haze towards her along with a group of blue-capped medics trailing behind. "Asami, what-"

"_Kya_. Sensha needs medical attention. Bolin too-" Asami screwed her eyes shut, feeling a dull ache surfacing in her arms and shoulders. One of Kya's aides moved to take Sensha away from her. Automatically she rolled her shoulders and sighed, before opening her eyes again. "What's going on Kya?"

"That was my question to you."

"It's all still a blur-"

"Kya, get these people inside the hospital!" Asami watched as Commander Makei ran up to the waterbender, dressed in his full armor with a blade extended over each arm. "Agni Kai's are coming down the road."

"Damn it..." She muttered, pinching her nose in frustration before looking at Asami. "This'll have to wait, okay?"

"Ye-yeah. Okay- Asami nodded uncertainly, watching as the famous healer moved off towards the large crowd and started beckoning towards the hospital doors while directing her medics around.

"Look out!" someone screamed.

The air warmed to a unbearable level around her, and she turned around to see a large firestorm consuming everything further down the street, everything from storefronts to abandoned satomobiles to the tiniest specks of dust were immolated instantly by the large fireball, she squinted and spotted several blurry figures performing short and aggressive movements on either side of the street.

Renewed shouting and screaming intensified around her as the firestorm moved closer and closer towards the hospital, dwarfing the metalbender barricade that blocked off access to the hospital from the road.

And suddenly, just like that in front of Asami's eyes the roaring of the fire subsided to a small keen whine, and the angry inferno quickly shrank until it tore itself into small wisps of flame, leaving behind smoke and ash in the immolated street.

The crowd near her had gone quiet for a second. She knew why at the sight of the Agni Kai members now distributed among the crowd, only visible because of being the only ones dressed in full crimson clothes or old-style fire nation armor.

Whole sections of the crowd immediately rushed to get away from the dangerous criminals, only to be stilled by the threat of a fireball or whip.

"Kya, what's-" A hand wrapped around her mouth and something slammed into the back of her head. Stars exploded in her vision and she tasted something coppery in her mouth as rising levels of panic threatened to consume her.

Whoever had their hand over her mouth began moving backwards, dragging her further away from crowd and Kya under the cover of the thickened smoke cloud enveloping the area.

Asami felt her thoughts grow sluggish as the smoke started to seep further into her lungs, forcing her to cough and hack violently. Before she lost the thought she quickly hid her hand with the discharger glove behind her back. Her captor didn't seem to notice, still roughly dragging her away from the safety of the hospital and away from anyone who could help her.

She had a long time to study the inner workings of her father's discharger gloves, probing their circuitry, examining the casing over the palm, determining the type of material the discharge core consisted of. But none of that was the true genius of what her father had created, what was truly genius was that the little round sphere could be mounted on almost any kind of surface or harness and still retain to ability to hold and contain a charge until coming into contact with something.

Suddenly they stopped completely, giving Asami a quick opportunity to regain her footing and 'struggle' a little, trying to loosen their hold before applying a counter move that would leave them out cold.

Her captors hand quickly put that idea out of the question by wrenching her long hair backwards painfully, twisting it into bundles and pulling sharply towards themselves, getting a gasp of pain from her. "I suggest you not use those fancy moves old daddy Sato told you. Could cost something even _you_ can't afford." The voice of a young woman, haughty in every possible way and devoid of every type of warmth whispered in her ear with a hiss.

All she could reply with was a strangled squeak as the young woman's hand pushed against her mouth and covered her nose, robbing her of any chance to breathe properly.

Asami managed to catch a glimpse of whoever held her, seeing the dangerous flash in her pure golden eyes that came with being unhinged and a firebending fanatic. "Oranis-"

"Shut it!" Asami bit down a cry when the girl's hold on her hair disappeared, only to be replaced by a searing touch on her arm seconds later that made her nearly drop the recently liberated discharge core and its harness. The harder she struggled to get away from the fire covering Oranis's hand purely out of instinct alone, the more the heat over her arm increased. "Your father wouldn't shut up either-"

Asami's eyes widened. "Wha-" Oranis's hand flew into her stomach again, shutting up her question.

"Hey waterbender!" Kya halted in her tracks, eyes narrowed before she turned around and moved through the haze, pushing past several groups of terrified people until she made it to the streetside, hearing Asami's panicked gasps and breaths before she could see anything.

As they got closer, the smoke thinned out enough for her to spot two figures standing in the middle of the road, looking like one of them was being held by the other, their body limp. "Asami..." She whispered, a growl to her voice as she waved her hands and moved them outwards from her body. The shark-tooth caps on the twin bottles on her hips popped open as the water inside lifted out in thick streams.

The streams gathered to her hands and then coiled up towards her shoulders, crawling up her arms then flattening to form a complete layer over them. Her mother's patented water tentacles. She leveled a reassuring glance at Asami before turning her attention to the exceedingly confident firebender. "You've got three seconds before I _snuff you out_."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, little miss rich girl here might get burned. Third degree? Or maybe a nice first just to soften her up?" Asami fought the urge to roll her eyes, making sure that the Agni Kai was distracted by her own boasting before slipping the discharge core and harness over her bare hand as quickly as possible before she could notice.

"Out with it. What are your demands?" Kya's eyes narrowed as she slowly worked her fingers inside the streams, already having a few ideas in mind of how to quickly dispatch of the Agni.

Oranis's pearly white teeth gleamed as she smiled cheerfully. "Well, I see you are certainly no stranger to hostage situations, lady Kya. I'll be brief: Bring me the Fire Ferret and his pet little brother and I'll let ms Sato here go. Clear enough for you?"

Asami caught the brunt of the stench of ash coming from her mouth as she spoke. Her gagging caught her a swift kick to the ankle for her trouble. Instead of being cowed by the blow, it only gave her a satisfaction of sorts: she was about to unleash tenfold of the same on the Agni Kai.

The firebender tilted her head and smiled as a blue flame winked into existence above her index finger, and Asami watched out of the corner of her eye as the tip of the flame danced against the hollow of her throat. She resisted the urge to gulp, instead taking a deep breath and working on calming herself down.

Kya's fingers flexed as she took a step forward with a growl on her features. "You hurt her and I'll- Mako?"

Oranis's eyes practically gleamed with glee at the sight of him as he walked past Kya and onto the road, making his way alone towards the firebender. "You've already hurt my brother. Do you really think it was a good idea to see me so soon?"

Seeing that Oranis was too engaged in what Mako was saying at the moment, Asami took the opportunity to flex her hand to activate the charge inside the core. Nothing happened and Asami started to silently panic before calming herself down, realizing that the core just needed a charge from a outside source.

Her eyes settled on Mako's. His quickly flitted to hers, and he gave the slightest of nods.

The Agni Kai chuckled. "Do I have your attention now that _she's_ in danger Fire Ferret?"

Mako withdrew the arm he had hidden behind his back the entire time, the bright blue light from the electricity arcing and crackling in the palm of his hand reflecting against his golden eyes. "You've got it."

A massive jolt rampaged through Asami's hand, and the discharge core instantly went from a dull grey to a incandescent bright blue. It hummed as she snapped her head back and caught Oranis on the chin, before twisting her palm backwards and thrusting it into the firebender's chest with all the force she could muster.

Orani's hand whipped up and propelled a flash of fire into her back, knocking her to the ground while grabbing the discharge core with her other hand.

Instead of dropping to the ground like a ragdoll, Oranis was blown down the street by the energy discharge, smoke curling from her hand where she had absorbed the majority of the charge. Screaming with rage she quickly got up and ran down the street away from the hospital.

Asami groaned and held a hand to her head. Kya rushed to her, hand covered in a sheathing of softly glowing water. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, the faint sound of a motorcycle engine starting up reaching her ears at the same time Lin came to a stop nearby.

"Mako!" Lin called out, frustrated at the kid's idiocy. "Kya, tend to Asami while I-"

"Commander Beifong!" Lin whipped around to see one of her officers standing there, the radio in his hand blaring unintelligible words. "Patrol ship just crashed nearby. In between here and City Hall. Councilman Tenzin had been sighted in the airspace nearby."

Lin narrowed her eyes. She nodded, raising her arm and launching her cable at the roof of a nearby building by the road. "I'll bring him out of there."

* * *

_Near City Hall._

She quickly skidded to a halt and ducked back behind the corner of the building, raising her hand and extending her cable just a little as a pair of Agni Kais ran down a nearby alley, fire wreathing their hands and excitement on their faces as they chased after someone.

Sensing that they had passed, she ran around the corner and made her way the open courtyard on the other side. Her foot knocked a jagged shard of metal into the front of a nearby dumpster, making her stop for a moment. Up ahead she could pick out bits of burnt metal and shards of splintered wood that had slammed into the ground from above.

Up ahead she saw that the entire wreckage had landed right on the edge of the building's roof. She swore under her breath and started pumping her arms, breathing in and out steadily as she came out of the alley and into the open square before the building.

A grinding noise cut through the air, and the entire wreckage started to shift and move, being dragged off the edge of the roof by its own weight. She doubled her pace, just before reaching the steps leading to the apartment's lobby she extended her arm, keeping it pointed at the edge of the roof as she quickly gauged a rough estimation before launching her cable.

As it flew up she closed her eyes and focused on changing the shape of the metal making up the cable's head, forming a four pronged claw instead of the smooth featureless surface it defaulted as.

A tremor travelled down her arm, signaling that the claw had just hit the edge of the roof, without a moment to spare she flexed her wrist to activate the spool on her back.

The cable retracted, pulling her off of her feet and and lifting her up the side of the building to where the cable claw had gotten a purchase. The entire building lurched as the wreckage continued shifting about and breaking apart on the roof, pieces of the steel beams forming its superstructure dropped towards her, forcing her to slacken the cable and swing herself out of their way to avoid being swatted like a fly.

Lin closed her eyes and got her breathing back on track after hearing them slam into the steps below, before reaching the lip of the roof. She stopped the spool with a thought and got a grip on the edge with both hands. With a grunt of effort she pulled herself up and over, getting to her feet near the wreckage's side.

Trying to use her eyes to find Tenzin in that mess of welded steel and hardened wood was pointless, so she closed her eyes and raised a foot above the ground. The underside of her boot slid back to reveal the smooth sole of her foot. She stomped down on the roof, breathing in sharply as her foot made contact with the earth inside the roof's cement.

She opened her eyes, to see a world dipped in dark grey paint. A bright white ring representing the vibrations made by her foot expanded outwards, running over the wreckage and a short distance after that before disappearing. In its wake a human-shaped mass of light appeared out of the dark grey murk, trapped inside the section of wreckage right next to Lin.

Wasting no time she extended the metal in her bracers, forming thick metal blades over her hands as she walked towards the side of the wreckage, ignoring the flames nearby and focusing on tearing the scrapheap apart until she found her old friend.

A shrill noise like that of a drill came from within the reaches of the wreckage, and something broke through the section she was about to lay into with her blades and metalbending.

Tenzin tumbled out of the rough hole he had just made, the coiled spiral mass of air in his hand disappeared into thin air as a small sigh escaped his lips. He coughed and sputtered, rolling onto his back and breathing heavily. He noticed her. "Lin..." whatever he said next was drowned out by a massive shudder going through the wreckage. Lin immediately recognised the sound of the pressurized fuel tank's integrity being compromised, and acted.

Without stopping she scooped up Tenzin and threw him over her shoulder, before running towards the other side of the roof and firing a cable down into the cement. She grunted as she dropped off the roof into the open air, the wire trailing up above them and the spool on her back spinning furiously as they fell.

At the right moment she forced the spool to stop and hold in place. Their fall was abruptly arrested and Lin cried out, gritting her teeth as her arm started to throb heavily.

With a growl she grew a small blade out of her bracer and moved her arm up and down, ignoring the burning pain in her shoulder as she sawed through the metal cabling.

Seconds later the cable snapped and deposited the two of them on the footpath running the road on the other side of the building. She laid there to catch her breath, before looking over at Tenzin to check if he was okay. Her old friend gave her a smile as he coughed and sputtered. "Th-thank you, Lin." He swallowed and then looked at her again. "My family are they-"

While gaining her own breath back she glanced at him and nodded, returning his smile. "Safe and sound back on the island. Jinora wanted to rush out to help me find you, but I managed to calm her down. Don't thank me. You'll be answering to Pema when all this is over."

Through his coughs he managed to laugh, although quickly it subsided into a fit of more coughing and sputtering. "And Saikhan?"

"We got him out of the wreckage. He's out cold though."

He nodded, taking a few deep breaths as he looked over Celestial Square towards City Hall. "Telei got the drop on me." He looked over at her. "I need to get to City Hall. There is something being held there that he wants. He engineered this entire catastrophe just to get a chance."

"Tenzin, I need to get you to a Hospital, I can go after him-"

"No Lin." He got to his feet, wiping a hand across his mouth and taking in a deep breath of air. "I need to fix my mistake. He has done enough damage and it needs to _stop_."

She fell silent, studying her feet for a few seconds before letting of her sigh. "Fine. But I'm sticking with you."

Knowing that she never took no for a answer he nodded. She stood up and went over to him, looping a supportive arm around his waist while grabbing a radio out of the holster on her belt. "Mak, its Lin. I found Tenzin, how is the situation at the arena?"

Tenzin glanced at her with a look of worry as static came back on the radio, before Makei's voice managed to break through. _"Lin? The arena's secure and we've rounded up a majority of the Agni Kais involved. Turns out there were fewer of them than we assumed. Rin and the Chief assisted with the evacuation of civilians and are out in the city now, assisting wherever they can. And the hospital is now secure. Is Tenzin alright?"_

"He managed to get caught underneath a airship as it crashed into a building. A few bruises but luckily his scrawniness worked out for him." A smirk tugged at her lips at the exasperated look on Tenzin. She just couldn't help getting in those digs. "We're on our way to contain the situation up at City Hall. Tenzin thinks this entire attack was a smokescreen to gain access inside."

_"Smokescreen for who?"_

"The so called 'Gray Man'." She answered with no small amount of distaste in her mouth.

_"Him again. Be careful, you two. I can't do much more than point a squad in your direction, what with Saikhan-" _Lin closed her eyes and her shoulders slumped as she heard Mak's voice trail off for a few seconds before coming back. _"Just get the bastard and don't get killed. Makei out."  
_"Will do, Mak. See you soon."

Lin placed the radio back in her holster, just as Tenzin's hand touched hers. "I think I can walk on my own now." She nodded, not saying a word as he moved a short distance away from her and took a deep breath, steadying himself as he stood before the pair of double doors leading into the building. "Are you ready?"

She quickly buried her concern for him and nodded, growing out a metal blade over her forearm. "Lead the way, old friend."

Nodding, he reached towards the door but stopped as a stray thought crossed his mind. He took a deep breath and adjusted his mantle, making sure it sat square on his shoulders again. Lin made a irritated grunt but didn't comment. He squared his shoulders and used a stream of reversed air to pull the heavy door towards him, slowly swinging it open and making the gap between each thick slab larger enough to get through.

Steeling himself one last time he headed through the other side.

The entirety of the hall was dimly lit, barely enough for him to see by as he surveyed the benches ahead and the council table at the far end. He stood still, waiting until Lin had stepped through before advancing further into the space.

Just as the two of them reached the first of the long benches the doors slammed shut behind them, and the sound of a blade being drawn and heavy labored breathing caught their attention.

His vision adjusted enough for him to notice Telei standing at the far end of the hall in front of the steps, his arm wrapped around the neck of a young man with a ponytail and shifty eyes and a blade held out by his side, pointed down at a kneeling old man.

"Tenzin-" Ling stopped as the arm around his neck squeezed harder, making it hard for him to breath. He breathed heavily as he looked down the hall, one eye closed shut by a hefty bruise. "Its you this freak wants. Get away from here!"

"Telei, release him! This is between you and me!"

"I am here for a altogether different reason, Tenzin... as the Earth Kingdom Councilman here can confirm. Stand." His grip on Ling tightened a little as Shizu nodded and got to his feet, his back turned to Tenzin and Lin.

"You'll pay for what you've done, you monster!" Lin extended the metal on her bracers into thick blades and ran down the length of the hall before Tenzin could stop her, boots echoing in the empty space as she readied her blades and uplifted the section of floor underneath her back foot. Propelling into the air she lunged towards Telei, both blades extended and ready to end his life-

"Metalbenders." He shook his head as his grip suddenly tightened on Ling's throat. The boy cried one last gasp before slackening. Telei let him drop to the floor and waited until Lin was just in arm's reach before slashing his sword towards her. She cried out in alarm as the keen edge sliced cleanly through her own blades, lopping off the tips and sending them flying before her stunned eyes.

He smirked as he lifted his palm and the air shimmered between them. A overwhelmingly solid mass of air slammed into Lin with everything it had, winding her, beating down on her senses until everything was muffled and sending her flying back down the hall, sliding along the floor towards Tenzin.

"Lin!" He reached a hand towards her, stepping forward to loose a short burst of wind at Telei before stooping down to grab her, without warning a strong grip clung onto his collar and propelled him into the air, forcing him watch helplessly as Lin crashed into the wall head on with a loud crack.

A sigh eked out of Shizu as he slumped to the floor again, now unconscious.

"Excellent. That leaves us in peace." A voice whispered in his ear.

* * *

_Celestial Square._

He opened his eyes, hissing and immediately clamping a hand down on his side as he tried to regain his bearings. Quickly he noticed with no small amount of surprise that he was leaning against the fountain at the center of the huge square in front of city hall.

"Hey, you were out for a while. You okay?" Tai blinked away the blurriness and saw Korra nearby, her hands covered in healing water as she ran them over Naga's sides and chest.

Tai winced at the burn marks marring the Polar-Bear Dog's magnificent white fur. And winced at every whimper and growl coming out of her as she rested on the ground, panting heavily. "Is she-"

"Naga managed to scare them off, that's how we got away. She got a few burns."

He nodded. "Thanks, Naga." The polar-bear dog looked at him and barked once, before laying her head back down on her paws. He looked down at his feet. "I think that was the leader of the Agni Kai's back there. He knew my dad."

"I'm glad we didn't stick around long enough to find out why." Korra moved over to him and offered her hand for him to take. "Come on, City Hall's waiting."

She pulled him up, hovering nearby just in case. He rolled his shoulders and nodded, showing her a thumbs up. Squaring his shoulders he started walking, hoping that he wasn't too badly injured for what faced them inside the building up ahead.

Korra caught up to him, leading Naga by the reins and keeping a constant hand on the polar-bear dog's side. For her own peace of mind or to calm down her longtime companion, she wasn't sure.

Once again, the far off squeal of police sirens and people shouting in the distance started getting to her. She tried blocking them out but didn't succeed. She glanced at Tai, thinking that any conversation was better than no conversation.

"What was your dad like?"

He arched a eyebrow as he looked at her, but didn't stop walking. "He always had time for Tarrin and me." Despite himself he chuckled, realizing that he just did something that his dad always hated. "He also hated it when I said stuff like that. Made it his mission in life to teach me and my brother to speak properly."

"He sounds nice."

"He'd go bananas if he ever met you. He knew Aang, but a lot of the time they never saw eye-to-eye."

She stopped for a moment, giving him a incredulous look just as they neared the steps to City Hall. "How come?"

"Don't know." He shrugged, and looked up the steps. His eyes narrowed. "We're here."

Korra nodded, moving towards Naga's ear while scratching the side of her nose. "Stay here girl, don't get into any trouble." She patted Naga's flank, watching as Naga laid down near the steps, she watched Korra follow Tai up the steps and made a sharp and short bark.

It wasn't long before the two of them stood in front of the double doors. He found he was clenching his hands, and had to focus on relaxing them. Expelling a deep breath he glanced at Korra and gave one curt nod, ready for round two.

She gripped the edge of the door and pulled, grunting a little with the effort before managing to pull on it enough for the door to fully swing open with a loud grind as it scraped against the stones underneath, never designed to be opened like that.

Together, the two of them headed inside.

Tenzin could barely keep his eyes open, let alone stop the swirling in his vision and focus on Telei. Amidst a mess of broken benches and chunks of stone that had been taken out of the nearby stone columns lining the room he faced him down. Despite all that he had his arms up, hands and fingers loose and stance wide, ready to dodge another onslaught from that blade at a moment's notice.

Still even he had to accept that he could barely stand, let alone keep up a pitched fight against the broken man in front of him. "I'm surprised you managed to last this long. Those sparring matches only lasted up to a minute at most. You know coming here was a mistake."

"Maybe. But I couldn't let you threaten the world again. With whatever your plan is."

"Your father and his friends interrupted my attempt last time. Now that they're all gone and buried I hardly think _you_ will be able to do anything about it."

"I can still try. The least I can do is protect Korra and Tai from you."

Telei tilted his head. "Hmm? I think that might prove difficult if they came to me." The swordmaster smirked at the sound of the heavy doors to the hall being opened.

Tenzin's breathing grew ragged as he heard footsteps running down the hall towards where he stood. He swallowed and scowled, forcing himself to stay focused on his opponent.

"Tenzin!"

"Stay... back." He warned, his voice tired and strained as he took a few steps towards Telei, standing straight with his blade drawn. He would protect both of them no matter what.

Telei's eyes flashed dangerously as they fixated on the boy, and the air around him shimmered.

He just couldn't keep track of his former friend as he bore down on the boy, his blade extended and about to plunge into the stunned Tai's chest.

Summoning up all the last dregs of his strength he had left he concentrated and focused on the space in between him and Tai, whipping the air behind him into a frenzy and catapaulting himself towards where his student stood.

A sigh escaped from Tenzin's lips as he halted the stream and shielded his student, having used a jetstream to intercept Telei's deadly blow. He coughed once and grunted as something cold and hard ran through him, sending lancing shocks all across his system just by being there.

Telei grunted and planted a foot on the wounded man's chest, kicking him back and pulling his sword out of Tenzin's stomach.

"No!"

Somewhere behind him Korra screamed, but everything sounded muted to him as Telei advanced on the boy. His vision blackened as Korra's terrified shout repeated itself in his thoughts. He pitched forward and slumped to the floor.

* * *

_Celestial Square._

Rain bucketed down as the three metalbending officers crossed the onto the road separating the square from the hall, sprinting flatout with their eyes set on City Hall.

"Sir, you didn't have to come with us-" Nisha looked back at her commander, seeing the look of grim determination on him as he pumped his arms, easily keeping pace with her and Hei as they slowed down a little, now going at a jog across the flat open parade ground just before the building itself.

"Everywhere else has been secured. City Hall is all that's left." Hei added in between breaths .

"Tenzin would do the same for me." Makei stated simply.

"Y-yes sir." She understood instantly, glancing over at Hei for a moment and agreeing with what he said.

"Is that the Avatar's Polar-Bear Dog?" Hei asked in surprise at the sight of seeing the large creature laying near the steps.

Makei's eyes narrowed as he got closer, now able to see the dark brown burn marks visible on the Polar-Bear Dog's side. "Yeah. Looks to be."

Naga looked up and barked at the three of them, getting to her feet and bounding up the steps of City Hall before they got closer.

"That's not good." Nisha murmured.

"Be ready for anything, lieutenant." Makei answered back, extending the bracers on his arms into thin claws and moving up the steps to follow the creature.

A curious whining noise greeted them as they reached the top of the steps, watching Naga standing on her hindquarters and trying to push the double doors with her paws, barking in fury and frustration. She stopped and landed back on her four feet, stepping back from the door and noticing the three of them as they carefully approached.

"Nisha, the door." Makei whispered, keeping a careful eye trained on the nervous creature.

She nodded and move forward, launching a wire and sinking it into the edge of the door. She activated her spool and retracted the wire, digging her heels in and grunting to swing the doors open.

As soon as they had opened up enough Naga sped through, her frenzied barks echoing throughout the hall along with each thunderous step she took on the formerly polished and uniform stone floor, now cracked in many places.

The Polar-Bear Dog kept going until she skidded to a halt, looking around and howling as she searched for her owner.

"What happened-" Hei began to ask, stopping himself as he stepped through with his wires up, Nisha doing the same. She glanced at him as he spotted Lin on the floor nearby, beginning to stir and move around. "Commander Beifong!" Nisha cried in alarm, the two of them immediately moving to assist her.

Makei stepped in, sparing a worried look in Lin's direction before noticing Korra sitting against the wall to his side, her knees drawn up and shoulders shaking. "Avatar, what happened-"

She looked up at him, her eyes wet.

He watched as she lifted a arm and pointed further into the hall. "I couldn't do _anything_." She whispered.

Makei followed her finger, feeling the sinking feeling in his gut grow by the second as his vision adjusted to the dimness and he spotted Tenzin lying on the floor, his normally orange robes soaked in blood. A boy; his student, knelt over him, holding a bundled up bunch of dark clothing over his stomach and pressing down as much as he could.

Nisha and Hei helped Lin up, her face a stony mask as she turned away from the horrible sight behind her and walked straight towards Korra. Without a word she knelt down in front of her, gently clasping her shoulders. The girl shuddered as she tipped her head against Lin's chest armor, crying and gasping and shuddering.

Of their own accord Makei's fingers found the radio in his holster, bringing up to his lips. "We need a medical team down at City Hall." He spoke quietly into the speaker, voice devoid of any emotion or inflection.

* * *

土


	26. The Dragonshead, and the Mistake

土

* * *

_The Cactus Bar._

The bell over the door rang as it opened, and two men in thick trenchcoats quickly stepped inside, eager to get out of the bucketing downpour and storm that had recently settled over the city.

The younger of them immediately made straight for a booth close to a window, sitting down in it and waiting for the older one to sit down on the opposite side of the table between them. "Why did the _storm of the century_ pick _now_ to appear?"

Maro answered with a sigh. "It's not a storm, Lagi. Waterbenders are simply bending the rain to help put out the fires around the City. Damn Agni Kais." He finished with a mutter.

Lagi nodded in answer and then glanced at the little radio sitting on the corner of the bar, a little irritated at the tinny voices coming through, barely hearable above the static. "Hey, can we get that radio fixed or something? Miho?" He called out to the woman tending the bar.

She shook her head as she laid a cloth over the bar top and started sliding it back and forth. "It's been broken for a while now. Can't help you, Lagi."

The young man frowned and sighed as he looked back at Maro, before noticing movement coming from the guy sitting at the bar. He lifted a hand and pointed it at the radio, his fingertips crackling with bright blue energy for a instant before releasing the spark into the radio.

The little jolt cleared up the static coming from the speakers, now loud and clear. "Happy?" The stranger asked, not waiting for an answer before lowering his hand and tending to the bottle in front of him.

Maro glanced over his shoulder and frowned. "I know that kid. He interrupted Amon's rally."

Mako ignored the two men sitting in the booth by the window, just wanting to be left alone and in peace.

"_Three days have passed since the chaotic events that interrupted the meeting of nations, and citizens are still fearful of what the Agni Kais will do next. Across the city, crime has been allowed to flourish while the Police dedicate their resources to extinguishing the last of the fires raging across our beloved city, having successfully put out fires across the majority of the bouroughs in an astounding show of efficiency and dedication."_

He tossed a glance at the nearby bottle and reached for it when his hand slipped, accidentally knocking it hard enough for dark golden liquid contained within to slosh around a little at the disturbance.

"_Acting Chief Makei; appointed to the position while Chief Saikhan recovers from his injuries at Shōu K__ǒ__u General Hospital, will be issuing a press statement tomorrow to address the public's concerns."_

He opened one dirty golden eye and stared at his hand, noticing that it was shaking a little.

"_Republic City's council members have expressed their support for Acting Chief Makei and Commander Beifong - who our reporters have been unable to reach for a interview- as they lead and direct the brave men and woman of the Police Force in restoring a sense of peace to the city."_

"I think you've had enough." The old woman tending the bar, her tone almost gravelly and about as deep as a hole could go, eyed him with the weary expression of someone who had seen countless kids like him come into her bar and drink their troubles away.

"_On another note reporters have been trying to gain access to Shōu K__ǒ__u's emergency ward, in order to try and get an opinion from Avatar Korra, who it has been reported has been keeping vigil over her mentor, Councilman Tenzin, after the serious injuries he gained during the Agni Kai attack. witnesses have also reported that Commander Lin Beifong has been sighted there as well, although as part of a official capacity or her own personal reasons is not known."_

"Ugh, damn tabloid news." The bartender shook her head as she finished wiping out the inside of a glass, bending back down to stow it inside the cabinet just near the tap. "You know, I like to know why my customers are drinking themselves stupid." she said, standing back up and looking at him. "So what's the case? Broke up with a girl? Lost some money?"

His eyebrows furrowed as he rested his cheek on the bar top. "Close. Lost a girl. Lost a lead. Lost a lot."

"Uh huh. Heard it dozens of times." The bartender squinted, realising that she knew the kid from somewhere. She had seen him in dozens of matches at the arena. "You're the Captain of the Fire Ferrets, ain't ya?"

He lifted his hand up and extended his index finger, still resting his head on the bar top. "Actually, I gave up that gig a few months back. My little brother-"He stopped himself for a moment, his thoughts clear enough for him to remember where Bolin was right now. "My little brother is the Captain now. Doesn't really matter since the arena got wrecked." Mako glanced at the bottle and grabbed it by the neck, tipping some of the contents into a little glass. He drank it in one go, ignoring the burning sensation crawling down into his insides. "I'm a cop now. That matters more than some stupid sport."

"Okay." The bartender nodded as she draped the tea-towel over her shoulder. "So if you're Mako, than the girl is-"

"Ancient history."

"Right. I suppose no-one would want to talk about it how they blew it with the Avatar. So I guess life sucks for you right now, doesn't it?"

He turned his head and stared into the depths of the dark golden liquid, vaguely recalling that he had actually tasted it before... His mother had been celebrating after a hard day at the office... she let him have some.

Still had the same taste to it. A bitter burning sensation that was so overwhelming that the only ones who could drink it without vomiting up their insides were firebenders. He still didn't know why that was the case. His eyes narrowed and he tried to pull himself out of the past, but as he struggled he found it more to his liking than the present.

At the sound of the bartender quietly sighing and moving off, he lifted his head just as the bell on the door ringed again. He heard a suprised grunt coming from her as someone stepped in, dripping water on the floor. "Buzz off, Skoochy. You know I can't let you in here."

"Don't get all antsy, Miho. Just here for him."

Mako scowled and turned around in his seat just as a wet and bedraggled Skoochy clambered on top of the stool next to him. The street urchin didn't say anything for a few seconds, looking at him with a smirk. "You look like you never left the streets, Mako."

He growled and turned back to his drink. "Not in the mood, Skoochy."

"Not even for a little message I nicked from a Agni Kai goon about a meetup with Oranis?"

That got his attention. Wiping his lips he looked back at Skoochy, knowing full well that he wasn't doing this out of the kindness of his heart. He wanted something. "In exchange?"

"I'm not a one-trick poodle pony Mako. Call this a courtesy. You and your brother have always done right by me, so I think a chance to bring the crazy ash-breather down is payment enough." A look surfaced in Skoochy's half-hidden eyes. And Mako knew he wasn't kidding.

Not saying another word he left the envelope next to Mako's elbow and got down from the stool, heading back out into the rainy streets.

The door swung shut and the bell rang again.

Drumming his fingers on the bar top he stared down at the little white paper square, seeing the crimson seal in the shape of a stylized flame telling him all he needed to know. Definitely something about the Agni Kais. They emulated the old Fire Nation army of old, most peculiarly their communication system of messenger hawks and signal flares. Notably in the navy, when a hawk reached its destination ship a blast of fire was sent skywards to indicate retrival.

It sounded incredibly incompetent when he first heard it from his mother, but then he remembered that was the time when the Fire Nation Navy ruled the seas and had most of the world under their thumb. It didn't matter to them if the enemy noticed their presence.

Picking up the later he broke the seal and unfolded the paper to reveal its contents.

_I know what you're going through._

_You must be feeling quite down, knowing that my father's Triad had pulled the wool over everybody's eyes and burnt it off in a glorious show of power. Make no mistake, officer, this is only the beginning of my father's plan for our beloved city._

_Who am I kidding?_

_You're just focused on what happened to your dear baby brother. Aren't you?_

_Well I'll be brief, here's your chance for revenge. Meet me at warehouse 4 in the Ling-Shan district. I'll only hang around for a half-hour at best._

_Oranis._

His mind was made up, he stopped drumming his fingers on the bar top, swiping the envelope and getting off the stool to walk towards the door. He stopped a moment and fished in his pockets for a bit, turning and walking back to place a bag of gold yuans on the bar as payment before stepping outside and leaving the little corner bar.

Thunder rumbled through the dark clouds overhead as he found his motorcycle where he had left it before, leaning against the nearby street lamp. The arrogant words on the letter kept running through his head as he straddled the seat and gripped the handlebars, walking his motorcycle backwards and onto the road.

Without a glance towards the bar he stroked the starter with his foot and raced off, peeling away from the motorcycle through the side-streets and back alleys that honeycombed the city.

Mako would answer the Agni Kai's challenge. For Bolin.

Ling-Shan district wasn't that far away, only a couple of blocks before he reached its perimeter at the most. He barreled around another corner at top speed, weighing on the brakes a little to stop from careening into the buildings hugging the road.

A flash of lightning shot overhead as he spotted a tunnel further down the road. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the small opening, completely pitch black due to being in the shadow of the buildings around it.

He hated tunnels.

Something made a new noise, barely audible above the downpour of rain smashing down on the streets or the thunder that drummed overhead. He could have sworn that a bin being tipped over was the cause, were it not for the thunderclap that rumbled at the same time.

Through the lashing swathes of rain that assaulted him the mouth of the tunnel steadily grew larger and larger, its inner depths still a pitch black unknown to him as he approached.

Something made a noise again, this time without the cover of the thunder to disguise it. His eyes narrowed as he gunned the accelerator. Someone was hiding just off of the road, and he didn't have the time or patience to find out who and dock them.

He caught a brilliant crackling flash on the peripheral of his vision, lighting up the confines of the dark side-alley around it to reveal a small yet dangerous girl as its source. Her golden eyes flashed as she extended her arm and hand with deliberate slowness, her index and middle finger extended with the crackling mass at their tips.

Immediately he cursed, knowing he wouldn't get a charge up in time to react. He hoped he could make it into the tunnel and find some cover before she-

His ears were assaulted with noise as his vision flipped and tumbled, losing control of the motorcycle and slamming into the wet ground several times, each one landing a blow on his sides, back and front.

As his vision flickered and the rain continued to beat down on him, he heard someone approaching. And before he lost the ability to do so, he caught a pair of golden eyes and a feral smile. "Father wants to meet you, Fire Ferret."

* * *

_Shōu K__ǒ__u_ _Emergency Ward, Room 36._

The windows lining one entire side of the modest hospital room rattled endlessly for the hundredth time, beaten senseless by the raging winds and lashing rain striking the entire city.

Korra couldn't get how Tenzin's chest rose up and down just a fraction, with such a gentle rhythm. A burst of static invaded her thoughts, and she glanced daggers at the nearby radio sitting on the nightstand.

She wouldn't have paid it any more mind until she recognised Commander Makei's gruff tones carrying through the static, somehow managing to be heard over the sound of whumps and a crowd shouting.

_"Right. Let's get this over with. First off - yes the rumors are true."_

A outstanding amount of noise came through as the crowd managed to get even louder, and the whumps came with more regularity. Someone among the crowd shouted loud enough for Makei to hear clearly.

_"Hold your horses, people, I'm not done. Yes. Republic City is undergoing a time of crisis and as such martial law has been put into effect."_

The very idea of what was just said over the radio made Korra look up at Lin, who sat amongst a row of chairs against the opposite wall. "That's not how you handle a crowd, Mak." She murmured.

_"Pipe down! Nothing will change in your daily routines!"_

_"But what about the reaction to the non-bender regulations Councilman Tarrlok cracked down on last year? How are we to know if those laws aren't going to be reintroduced?"_

_"Protecting the people - benders and non benders together - is our only concern. Those laws will not be necessary."_

_"But this just means there will be a heavier police presence in the streets! People with the license to search homes whenever they want!"_

_"My men can control themselves, ms Seris, if that is what you're implying. But the decision is final and preparations have already been made: Starting tonight martial law will be enforced and a curfew for both benders and non-benders will be put in place. That is all."_

"Hope you know what you're doing, Mak." Lin whispered to herself.

Lightning flashed outside, highlighting the room in a stark shock of white for a brief instant before flaring down and letting the dimness return. "Can't they fix the lights?" Korra whispered, looking for something, _anything_, to latch onto to take her attention away from the resting man on the bed she faced.

From the other side of the room, one of the wooden chairs squeaked a little as Lin shifted in it, her arms crossed and head tucked against her chest. "Not with the storm outside." Her minty green eyes flitted up for a brief second, settling on the tired features of the man lying under the bed's white covers.

After a while she made a noise, and the chair creaked as she stood up. "I'll be back. They should be here soon." She moved towards the doorway to the room, lit by a candle mounted on the nearby wall. She stopped. "Will you be alright by yourself?"

Automatically Korra nodded, not putting too much thought to it.

She heard Lin talking with someone in the hallway outside the room, only exchanging a few words with them before walking down the hall. Korra saw Kya come into the room from the corner of her eye, but couldn't find it in her to say hello.

Instead her gaze stayed on Tenzin's peaceful features, and occasional strayed to his black beard as Kya's quiet steps came closer. "Still here?" She asked in a small voice, pulling up a chair alongside Korra.

"You've got some bags. Did you catch any sleep at all?" Korra shook her head a little, absent-mindedly rubbing the skin under her eyes with her index finger.

Automatically Korra nodded, again not putting much thought into it. She resumed her staring at her mentor.

She felt like a joke just even being in the room, watching over him. A scowl settled on her. Not even once did Tenzin ever give up on her. He allowed her to stay with him and his family on the Island. He taught her airbending and taught her patience. He taught her a lot. She resisted the urge to chuckle. There was even a lesson to be learned when she had broken down after Amon's ambush, after facing a enemy who stood for everything that she didn't, and could destroy everything she _did_.

He had been there for her countless times ever since she came to Republic City. Not even once had she taken the chance to repay that. In any way at all.

Each thought swung a hammer blow into her. She was _selfish_.

"Korra-" She looked down at the floor between her boots, definitely knowing what was going to come next. "Korra. Its not your fault, we-"

"You of all people should be angry at me." Korra hissed, her gaze practically burning a hole in the floor. "I'm the Avatar, right? I'm supposed to protect everyone. That's my duty. Spirits... I was right there, could have done something to stop it. I didn't. I froze up." Her shoulders slumped as memories of her time in Republic City overran her skull, the most vivid among them being when Tenzin was there for her when Amon ambushed her. "I froze up." She repeated with a murmur, shivering a little at the the perceived touch of bloodbending, like that she experienced against Amon. "I froze up facing Amon as well. Mako didn't." She closed her eyes, recalling the primal feeling that surfaced and dominated her mind with a thousand voices. "Froze up at the South Pole when Telei showed up. My predecessors didn't." She find she couldn't stop herself now. "And I froze up when the city was being attacked. Tai didn't."

A long silence followed, broken when Kya snorted in derision. "Stop beating yourself up."

"Can't." A tear escaped down Korra's cheek as she sniffed, unable to think or move or do _anything_.

Her hand lifted to cover her eyes, to stop Kya from seeing any more. She heard her chair scrape and suddenly Kya was standing in front of her, and Korra could see that her eyes were red as well. Kya didn't say a word as she wrapped the girl in a embrace.

The older woman, who she had looked up to, even saw as something of a big sister, gently stroked Korra's hair, rocking back and forth as her own shoulders shook.

"Lady Kya to Reception Ward." A tired voice on the intercom said tonelessly, making Kya look up and blink twice. "More wounded." The woman finished, her heavy sigh easily carrying over the speaker.

"Damn it." She muttered, rubbing at her eyes and loosing a explosive sigh. "Looks like I've got to get back to it."

Even though Korra didn't want her to, she stood up and rolled her shoulders, readying herself for another onslaught of wounded people to slog through. She looked down at Tenzin, mentally forcing herself to think of him as just another patient to stop herself from staying in the room.

Korra's eyes were downcast as she looked at the floor between her boots again. "You may not want to hear this right now, Korra... but he'll always be proud of you."

She left the room, her footsteps echoing down the hallway going further away from Korra.

Once the door closed, the entire room seemed to darken just a little.

A voice whispered in the room, but in her head at the same time as well. _Poor Avatar, forced to sit there and wait. Scared of what will come next._

Korra could have sworn she was seeing things, but there was a woman standing at the far side of the room where there was nothing before, against the wall facing Tenzin's bed. She was pale, deathly pale, and her entire body seemed to shimmer in the half-darkness. But one thing stood out. Her eyes. Golden. Predatory.

"Wh-who are you?" She whispered, getting a cold pit in her stomach just looking at the enchantingly beautiful ghost of a woman.

The strange woman's laugh only chilled her even further. "I? I am just a interested observer. And you are interesting indeed."

"What do you mean?"

"What else can I mean? Ever since you trespassed in my shrine, you caught my attention. Made me want to come out and play."

Korra's eyes widened at the realization. "Y- you were that spirit- the one that took Bolin and Tai-"

"One of my forms. Yes." The spirit seemed to purr, seemed to revel in the fearful tone Korra couldn't help.

"Why are you here?" She fought to keep her voice from trembling any further, even though the re seemed to be a veritable wave of _wrong_ coming from the woman.

"I like to watch." The spirit smiled as it sauntered closer to the foot of Tenzin's bed, placing a demure hand on the sheets. "The waterbender was not lying. He is proud of you, Korra." And before Korra's eyes it started to fade away, only its golden eyes still burning for a few seconds before disappearing as well.

The entire room brightened in a instant.

She looked over as the door opened and Pema rushed in, clutching Rohan. She stopped just inside the doorway, staring wordlessly at Tenzin. "Oh no." She whispered, slowly edging closer as Jinora, Ikki and Meelo came into the room as well.

Lin stepped in after them, leaning against the opposite wall and staying quiet, folding her arms and staring down at the floor.

Ikki held a hand over her mouth and clutched the hem of her mother's robe, while Jinora quietly moved to sit on the chair next to Korra. Meelo took two tentative steps towards the side of the bed, before carefully clambering up the sheets and sitting next to Tenzin's chest. "Daddy's asleep?"

Pema nodded, shifting Rohan on her shoulder. "Yes, honey. He just needs rest. We'll be here when he wakes up."

Korra could only look on in silence, feeling nothing but utter devastation at the listlessness the family displayed.

Soon enough she could take no more, and left the room without a word.

Jinora watched her go, then looked at her mother. "Has anyone seen Tai?"

He chickened out. Plain and simple.

Tai leaned against the wall, his arms folded and eyes dark. He avoided looking through the nearby observation window, especially knowing what must have been going through the minds of the people in there, all of them focused on the old man resting in the bed.

Seeing Korra walk out of the room like that had only steeled his decision to not go in there.

The nearby door swung open, and he barely glanced over to see Kya stop in front of the window, both hands clutching a clipboard tightly. He could see dried blood on her rolled up sleeves.

"Will he live?"

"Tenzin's tougher than he looks, Tai. He will." Tai nodded to himself, hearing Kya's voice grow small. "Although what I had to do to heal his wounds... That will be hard to explain. Geez, especially to mother."

"What's to explain. You healed him. That's it."

The woman hesitated before responding. "Y-yes. That's it." She closed her eyes for a few seconds, before looking at him. "You have a visitor, by the way."

"Tell them to go away. Not interested."

She didn't respond, just looking down at her checkboard and leaving the room.

Tai grimaced and tucked his chin in, looking down at the floor to avoid talking to whoever wanted to speak to him. Wasn't the best time.

Whoever just came into the room had heavy boots on as they moved, soon leaning against the same wall as he did without saying a word.

Finally he glanced at the newcomer, having to know just who it was.

Grey eyes looked back, grey eyes just like his. "Big brother?" Tai whispered. He saw the edges of a smile coming from the depths of the brown hood.

"Was a little busy the past few months. Sorry I couldn't visit."

"That's not funny."

"I know."

"This wasn't how I expected us to meet each other again." Tai muttered, stealing a side-long glance at the room through the window.

"Sorry."

That brought a smirk out of Tai, not a big one, but one nonetheless. He looked at his older brother, noticing that the way he held himself seemed... lighter, than before, like he didn't have a great weight to carry anymore. Tai wish he could say the same about himself.

"I heard about City Hall." Tarrin said.

Tai's gaze slid towards the family in the next room, watching as Meelo settled in on the bed to keep close to his dad. "Oh." he murmured, his gaze tightening.

"I could have been there, to do something - but Telei, he had us cornered and-" His older brother cleared his throat and leveled a regretful look at him. "I had to make a choice between getting Yem out of there and completing the mission." He hung his head. "Wish I could have done both. Might have been able to stop him from getting injured."

He didn't answer immediately, knowing that he would never have been fast enough to deflect or intercept, or even just stand in Telei's _way_. "You always had a leg up over me." Tai stepped off from the wall and moved a little towards the door, his gaze on the floor the entire time.

"Where are you going?"

"Just for a walk. Kaze needs it."

A little smirk showed underneath Tarrin's hood. "Your Spirit-Wolf? Hm." He stepped off the wall as well, taking a slip of paper out of his pocket. "Listen. If you ever need to talk - about anything at all. Come by at any time."

For reasons he didn't know, he felt reluctant even to take the little slip of paper his older brother held out. But he nodded and took it, placing it in his pocket before leaving the room.

* * *

_Shōu K__ǒ__u_ _Emergency Ward, Room 40._

Asami hovered at the threshold to the room, her hand raised to use the handle. She glanced down the sterile hallway and the length of rooms connected to it, hoping that maybe he would decide to show up.

Four time she had been to visit, and he still hadn't showed.

She put her thoughts about him to the back of her head and focused on the drab grey door in front of her, a simple rectangular window on its surface with the room number neatly painted on in black paint.

Her hand closed around the handle and pulled downwards, she released it and pushed gently on the door. It swung inwards and she lightly stepped through, careful not to disturb the two patients within.

The room's windows on the other side were fully exposed, showing the multitudes of rain constantly hitting the exterior and running down its surface in thick streams. She noticed with no small amount of worry that the clouds seemed to have darkened heavily since she came there.

Spotting a chair in between the two beds she sat down in it, trying not to make any noise as she shifted a little on the hard uncomfortable seat.

She wrung her hands and breathed a heavy sigh, just as movement came from the bed opposite the window. She turned, a little startled to see Sensha sitting up with a hand to her stomach.

"Asami?"

"Sensha! I- came to visit." She stood up, hovering in front of the bed as the girl screwed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth as she moved the wrong way. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I jumped in front of a bomb." Her voice was hoarse and cracked. "How long have I been..?"

"A day or so."

"And Bolin, has he woken up?"

Asami hesitated, and shook her head. "Not a peep."

Sensha nodded, a concerned look on her as she stared over at Bolin. "I hope he's okay." She turned to look back at Asami. "Has Mako been by yet?"

"I-" Asami stopped herself and shook her head. "No. I don't know why." A thought entered her head and she stood up from the chair. "I'm heading over to his apartment to check up on him. The nurse should be here soon." She didn't know why she had such a steely tone as she said that, but she didn't waste any time on figuring it out. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

_Under Republic City._

A coughing fit forced him awake, snapping his eyes open and sending dull throbs throughout his chest.

His eyes widened when he couldn't feel the soft fabric of his father's scarf wrapped around his neck.

It was everywhere down... wherever he was.

He shook his head, hoping that it would clear up his headache, but instead his entire body started to sway back and forth a little, making him realize that he wasn't even touching the ground.

"Comfortable?"

He heard someone's footsteps clanging on a metal walkway, going up some kind of ramp that rose out of the steam covering the depths of the dimly lit space. Anger sparked inside of him as he lifted his head and saw Oranis standing there, a hand on her hip and a self-assured look in place. "Y- you..." He growled, immediately trying to spark a flame from his hand, to do _something_.

"That won't work, handsome." She chuckled, the deranged young woman's eyes lit up and a small smile setted on her crimson lips as she stopped in front of him.

He immediately went to snap his foot up to catch her in the side of the head with a knockout, but he didn't get far. He cursed as he realized they had chained his feet together as well.

The tremor that ran through him as the firebending crazy ran a unwanted hand up and down the side of his chest as all of his thoughts switched to finding a way out of wherever he was. "You know I'm glad you took the bait so easily. My father isn't one to keep waiting after all."

"That is enough, my daughter." a voice spoke, reverberating off the brass pipes throughout the steam-filled room and growing loud and strong as a result.

"Y-yes, father. Immediately." The girl dipped her head and stepped away from where Mako was chained up, turning and walking back down the ramp, heading towards a shadowy blur standing at the far side of the room, barely seeable through all the steam. At unseen signal the level of steam in the room began to lighten, being sucked into the pipes by some kind of mechanism.

A part of him recognized the noise of a pair of industrial fans working to direct the steam throughout the pipe network hidden in the walls to other parts of the complex. The power plant he had worked in for a few weeks before the Equalist's began their revolution used the exact same system.

The snap of a finger brought him back to his current situation, and as the steam in the room settled to a thin layer above the metal flooring in the room he could see that there had been a crowd of Agni Kais there the entire time, motionless and quiet as the man at the end of the room made his way down a series of thin metal steps.

"I have been wanting to meet you for a very long time, Mako."

Mako blinked sweat out of his eyes as he looked down, seeing that there was some kind of 'podium' sitting just underneath him. "Can't say the same for the head honcho of the Agni Kais." he struggled to keep his eyes open as the steam got to him.

Kazon nodded, moving slowly on purpose through the space. He stopped midway between the door and the podium Mako hung above, brushing something he held in his hands. "Is that so?" He looked around the room for a few seconds, then looked up at Mako again. "I have something of yours." He indicated the bundle in his arms.

A naked flame appeared in the palm of his hand, brilliant and strong, lighting up a great portion of the dimly lit floor. The light from its flickers danced along the length of blood red fabric clutched in his other hand.

"Give that back-"

"I find it strange that a scarf like this ended up in the hands of a vagrant such as yourself. How did you get it?"

"That's my fathers-"

"Did you make it?"

"Don't touch it-"

"Did you _steal _it?"

"GIVE IT BACK!" Mako breathed heavily, his eyes blazing and his thoughts overtaken by anger as he moved his arms, making himself swing back and forth in a bid to get free.

"This was _her_ scarf."

"Shut up! I'll kill you, I'll destroy you!"

"Is that so?" Kazon glanced at his daughter standing at his side, a gentle look on him. "Very well. Release him from the chains. I'll give you what you want, Mako."

Somewhere near the base of the podium he heard a lever being pulled and the metal loops fixing his chains to the ceiling and top of the podium snapped open with a click. He grunted as he landed on his feet, swaying for a second before getting used to standing up again. "Why did you target my brother?" He said, a dangerous look in his eyes as he stared down at Kazon.

"I have my reasons."

He clenched his fist. "Answer me!"

"On one condition. I want to challenge you to a Agni Kai." Saying those two words spurred the assembled triad members to shift away from where the two of them faced one another, standing closer to the edges of the large room so that there was a rough rectangle of clear space around them.

"Wha- why?"

"To determine if you are truly her son." Kazon slowly extended one arm out, keeping his palm pointed forwards and fingers straight while his other hand hung back as a fist.

"Fine." A growl settled on Mako's features even though he felt beyond exhausted. He knew he was in a bad situation, and there was definitely no way Kazon was letting him go without a fight. He needed to get out of here. And this Agni Kai seemed to be the quickest way to do it.

He used what was instinct to him, keeping arms loose and up in front of his chest with hands raised in fists.

Sparks snapped and crackled in front of Kazon's outstretched hand. "Good. Let us begin."

Mako kept his eyes on Kazon as a blazing mass of fire bloomed to life in the head Agni Kai's palm. Fire suddenly billowed outwards and rushed towards Mako with the speed of a wildfire, almost upon him within seconds of appearing.

He thrust his hand forward, keeping it as a enclosed fist and concentrating on redirecting the flames around him. The heat only made him sweat even more as the firestorm raged, blotting out any hope of seeing what was outside of the angry orange blaze trying to consume him, nothing but a constant roar in his ears.

It took all of his concentration and strength just to stop it from touching him, and only then he could keep it at a arms reach at best.

His concentration slipped and the firestorm bulged inwards. Gritting his teeth he dropped low to the ground, pushing the mass of flames upwards with all of his might. With a strained yell the firestorm completely changed direction, shooting upwards and slamming into the metal ceiling of the room.

Slowly the roar died away as the column of fire faded away into little wisps left hanging in the air, leaving behind a wide part of the metal roofing glowing a cherry red and ringed by blackened and twisted metal.

He breathed heavily, a lot already taken out of him just by stopping himself from being consumed by the massive inferno. He cursed quietly when a barrage of fire streams, each one thick and powerful, came at him in full force. He held his hands close together and in front of his face, gritting as he ducked and weaved as best he could, still getting hit by each one and knocking him back a few steps from the force alone.

"Haven't even gone on the offensive. Shameful." Mako's eyes narrowed and he roared, running forwards and throwing punches and kicks at Kazon, each one backed up by a powerful blast of fire that would incinerate the man.

But he didn't even look fazed as he easily deflected each blast, his golden eyes calmly tracking each one as it landed elsewhere in the room, watching as one managed to knock a few of his followers of their feet.

Suddenly Mako pitched forward, his fist swinging into nothing but thin air as a hand wrapped around his throat and threw him to the floor. His shoulder cracked and he gasped, gritting his teeth as his vision began to blacken around the edges.

A wide jet of fire hovered inches in front of his face as Kazon stood over him, with a expression like he had already expected this outcome. "You look just like your traitorous mother and dirt-loving street rat of a father did at their moment of peace." Kazon extinguished the flame and straightened. "You couldn't even last a minute against me. You aren't worthy to her child."

His boot crashed into Mako's cheek.

* * *

_Air Temple Island, Republic City._

The entire island was thrown in sharp white light by a lightning strike in the dark grey clouds overhead, prompting Tai to look up as the thunder followed immediately after. The boy shook his head and continued to lean on the wooden railing looking out over the island's main pier at a cityscape shrouded behind vast lashing swathes of rain. Whereas before there would be lights shining all across the waters of the bay... now there was next to nothing, just a handful that was barely enough to be visible to the island.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he recognized the familiar shape of the air disciple ferry coming across the water and approaching the island. Just above the din of the rain bucketing down he heard a choking sob carry across from behind a rocky face nearby. Despite every fiber of his being telling him not to, he found himself automatically walking towards the nearby wall of stone, looking at a line of bushes hiding the rocky cliffside ledge from view.

His face fell at the sight of seeing Korra, her knees drawn up against her chest and her face buried from view in a similar fashion to when Tarrlok had shook her confidence in herself.

Each time her shoulders shook with each sob stirred something within him, making him approach despite his best wishes not to.

He came to a stop near the edge of the cliff, hands in pockets as he looked up at the dirty dark sky, not caring that the rain was beginning to mat down his hair into a wet mess.

Tai stood like that for a while, frozen in place while listening to each wracking sob coming from the beaten and worn down Water Tribe girl sitting nearby. He didn't know if she knew he was there or not.

Soon, he managed to unfreeze himself and glanced sidelong at her, noticing that she hadn't tried to keep the rain away using bending, resulting in her occasionally shivering and hugging herself for warmth.

Finally he gave in, taking off his coat and turning to her. She didn't move to take it from his hands, still in the exact same position as before. So he squatted down, not sure how much of a risk he was taking by placing it over her shoulders himself. "You could just bend the rain away."

Her sobbing went away as she looked up, her cheeks stained with tears and blue eyes glistening. She just looked over the dark waters without saying a word.

Tai grimaced as he sat down next to her, his legs crossed.

"He was always there for me. Even when I was being a jerk he-" His eyes tightened at the sound of her barely-there words, that were almost like pained breaths. "-He never stopped helping me. Not just him too. But B-Bolin as well. And now they're both-" She jammed her palm into her eye, gritting her teeth and shaking her head with a sharp intake of breath.

Not knowing what else to do, much less what to say, he gently placed his hand on her back, doing the same thing his mother did to comfort him when he was a kid. "I could have done something- If I had just been faster or stronger then I could have-"

He sighed at her words, each one a punch to the gut and confirming what he was already thinking about himself. "Everything's falling apart." She whispered, sniffing and raising her hand to wipe at her cheek, her face downcast. "First Mako, now Bolin. And Tenzin. And you." Korra didn't look at him, didn't see the hurt expression he had just seeing her like this. "You could have left the city by now. You could be out there, finding your brother."

Tai took the plunge. "He can wait. I'm not going anywhere."

For the first time since being there, she nodded. Just a little. "Thank you."

"Its nothing-" He began to say automatically when she shifted to face him, looking at him for a second before leaning into him and wrapping her arms around him. A grunt of surprise came out of him. "Korra-"

He shut himself up when he noticed her eyes, noticed the strange look in them as she lifted her head and looked at him. Suddenly she shifted forwards, pushing him back a little as her lips brushed against his and her hand touched his. And immediately his thoughts slowed to a _crawl._

His eyes widened for a moment, his brain trying to process what was going on when she fully committed. Inwardly he marveled at soft her lips were, a small part of him wondering how this could be the same girl that had thrown criminals around like nothing and never backed down from anything, but here she was. Here. Doing _this_.

Tai didn't want a reason why, or a explanation as he carefully cupped her cheek, holding her still long enough to return the favor she gave him. He pressed against her as gently as he could, not wanting to do anything sudden or something to break the moment and snap her out of whatever had her. He snaked a arm around her waist, bringing her in closer so that she couldn't do anything else.

It felt like forever that he was caught in that moment, finally able to see her up close with nothing in the way to obscure her. He didn't realise how badly he had wanted something like this-

A tear rolled down her cheek, invading his mouth with a salty taste. And he blinked as if snapped out of a idealized dream.

What was that, why did she- these questions overtook him, compelling him to immediately shuffle away from her to get some distance. He had nothing but questions now, even as the girl not a foot away from him had tears rolling down her cheeks. "I- I need to go. I-" Tai shook his head and growled, standing up and turning his back on her, not seeing the look of bewilderment on her.

* * *

_Silk Road, Republic City Outskirts._

Thunder rumbled with a distant series of deep thuds in the sky, coming from the road he had just been travelling down for the past few hooded man calmly stalked down the empty dirt track, watching his surroundings with constant alertness but never finding a need to reach for the sword on his back.

The unconscious bundle on his shoulder shifted a little as he stopped in his tracks, hand twitching slightly as he noticed the man standing in the middle of the road up ahead.

He kept moving forward, already counting at least fourteen more of them in the grey rock and crags around him.

"I have been looking for you, Airbending master."

"Shadowing me for quite some time, have you? Why?"

"I'm looking to do a trade." The man took a few steps forward, the deep sleeves on his sage green traveling coat flapping in the heavy wind. He bowed. "The Dai Li have something you have been searching for."

"Yes, the room had been emptied beforehand. I suspected that you had a hand in that. If Tenzin hadn't delayed me I would have it in my possession, and no reason for keeping you alive."

"Then listen to my terms. I have a interest in acquiring your former student. Bring him to me and I'll give you what you seek."

Telei's eyes narrowed in suspicion at the Dai Li Director's words.

* * *

土


	27. The Dark Flame, and the Old Man

土

* * *

Tapping. Constant tapping invaded his stirring thoughts.

The tapping was irregular, speeding up to a near constant background of annoying sound or slowing down and happening in bursts. Suddenly the tapping was interrupted by a large rattling noise as the wind picked up and pushed against the window.

His eyes flew open and he came face-to-face with a dark red ceiling, most of its color sucked out by the greyness that seemed to hang over the entire room he was in. He recognized that crack where the ceiling met the wall, saw the little curve in it as it followed the direction of the wall.

Mako sat up, the couch making a squeaky noise as the springs inside it protested to the sharp weight being pushed down on them. He rubbed the back of his head and groaned, closing his eyes for a second and trying to concentrate hard.  
It came to him in a instant.

The ambush. His capture by the Agni Kais and that meeting with their leader... it actually happened. But that wasn't what he focused on. He focused on the last words Kazon spoke to him. Words that only now rang in his mind and couldn't seriously be true.

"My parents..." Mako muttered, opening his hands and seeing bruises on them.

"You're awake."

Rubbing the ache on his neck he squinted in the dark half-light, noticing someone sitting on the arm of the single chair near the window dominating the living room section of the apartment.

Boto folded his arms after holding his hand over the twisted trenchcoat near his hip, making small motions to draw out streams of raindrops and collect them into a single ribbon, before directing it to pour into the parched clumpy soil of a nearby pot plan, sitting on a small bench. Its thin angular leaves added a burst of orange life to the room. "Didn't Asami buy this plant for you?"

"Its-" His confusion died away in the face of the angry red flames he kept seeing repeated over and over in his head. He clasped his hands, making sure he didn't make any big movements that would aggravate every bruise he felt. "Not important. Why are you here? How-"

"Commander Beifong asked me to keep a eye out for you. I was going to anyway, we're partners, but after what happened to Bolin she thought you would run off on your own. When I found you... you nearly got yourself killed." Boto didn't drop away his gaze, didn't even shift uncomfortably or even sigh.

Nothing but silence came from Mako as he laced his hands together, staring into their depths. Finally he looked up. "I didn't see you at all during the confusion. Where were you?"

"Digging up information about the Monsoons. Didn't really get far before the hospital was attacked and wounded started coming in." Boto folded his arms and nodded at the plant in the red pot. "She came around earlier. But you were gone. That's how I knew something was up."

"What was she doing in my-"

"Not Korra. _Asami._"

Mako stared out of the window, still unable to see past the absolute downpour drowning the city and quenching the flames. "Why would she-"

"Because she cares. We all do." Boto got to his feet, knocking away a empty glass bottle in the process, sending it skittering towards a corner of the room. "Bolin won't get better just because you beat up a few thugs."

"You don't know what they've done to me, what they forced me to live like!"

"And that just gives you the excuse you need to take them with you in a raging blaze? That isn't the way to do it. You need _help, _Mako."

"Is that all?" Mako said, clenching both hands as he stared down at them.

The waterbender turned around to look at the drab grey city past the window. "Your leave has been extended for a couple of days. To get your act together."

Boto clapped his hands once and nodded, turning around and making his way towards the door, ducking his head to pass under the doorframe. He closed the sliding door shut behind him.

Mako stared at the grey wetness the window showed, feeling nothing but a hollowness similar to it himself.

* * *

_City Hall, Republic City._

Sharp orange lights reflected off the polished metal of the sleek black satomobile's side, causing the two occupants to pause briefly and watch the source of the commotion.

"There's the cordon." Makei muttered as he shuffled the stick and pulled the clutch, making the satomobile roll to a standstill near the edge of the curb.

Lin glanced at Makei. "Let's just hope the reporters don't try and make a big fuss because of this." she said while she sat in the passenger seat, the foreboding look each one had enough for words.

He nodded as he opened his door and got out, waiting while Lin did the same. Across from where they had parked, Celestial square was absolutely filled edge-to-edge with bucking and baying reporters, journalists, business tycoons trying to get the latest update; anyone who could get their hands on a notepad or flash camera and had a especially loud voice was there.

The streets around the square each had several patrolling pairs of metalbenders, decked out in slightly bulkier armor than what they usually wore. Makei grimaced at the security and the numerous riot vans stationed at each corner of the square, wondering if declaring martial law was really the right thing to do.

"We'll be late, Mak. Lets go." He looked over at Lin, who did a remarkable job at masking her injuries with a powerful stride. She powered ahead for a few seconds before stopping and clamping a hand to her side, quickly bracing against a nearby lamp post for support as she bit down a injured groan.

"Don't overdo it, Lin." Keeping a close eye on her he approached, knowing how she was when it came to asking for help. "We've got time."

Makei didn't balk at the smoldering glower she fixed at him, enough to turn a firebender to ashes and make a waterbender tearbend. "I'm fine." she said, waving her hand at him.

He stopped and sighed, folding his arms. "Well, being the greatest earthbender in the world I'll defer to your judgement."

Lin nodded once as she pushed away from the lamp post, and bit down a pained grunt as she steadied herself. She frowned. "I'm fine, Mak. Just..." Lin angrily shook her head. "Just not used to losing. You know that."

"Hmm." Makei looked ahead, spotting the dull grey barricade behind which a line of officers stood. He indicated it to Lin. "Shall we?"

"Yes."

He stopped before going too far, seeing that she was struggling to keep up straight. He shook his head and extended a arm towards her.

"Just this once." Lin murmured, before grabbing his offered hand for support until she got close enough to put her arm around his neck to relieve the pressure on her side.

It tooker longer than usual for them to make their way down the footpath towards the cordoned off road separating City Hall from the crowd of reports, but in all honesty he really didn't mind, just wanting to make sure he could witness a rare moment where Lin Beifong decided to stuff her own personal pride and accept help.

The stubbornest woman he had ever met. He had to say that when he first heard Tenzin had started dating her, he felt the urge to wish his best friend good luck. But then again he also wanted to punch the weedy little punk for daring to ask out 'his' girl. Then again he was only ten years old at the time. He didn't have the best judgement.

Now that he was older... he just didn't have time for that stuff anymore.

A uproar in the crowd brought him out of his thoughts, he looked over and saw that Rin was behind the speaker's podium, her bearing as regal and composed as ever.

"Commander. Comma - Ma'am. Fire Lord's just finished her farewell address. Up this way." a young officer saluted the two of them, throwing nervous glances at the crowd every once in a while.

"Thanks, Gummi. Keep at it."

Moving past the barricade towards the first of the steps, Lin stopped for a moment and knocked his hand away. "I can walk now."

Makei shrugged in answer, watching as she took a few deep breaths, squared her shoulders and kept a straight back as she went up the steps. He followed her up, nearing the top where Rin stood behind the podium, and representatives from the various delegates on the seats behind her.

Lin sat down on the edge seat, Makei taking the one near her. He recognised the Earth King's Secretary on the nearest seat to them, noticing that the Earth King wasn't even present.

"I have limited time for any questions. Ask what you will and be quick about it." Rin's terse tones forced a new wave of shouting across the crowd as reporters scrambled to have their say.

One of them, a portly man with a gleam in his small eyes and wearing a stone-colored suit that must have been custom-fitted, especially for someone his size, managed to get the Fire Lord's attention. The deep green fedora, with a brightly colored feather stuck through it, stood out on his heavyset face. "Before I ask my question, Fire Lord, I want to express my deep gratitude on behalf of the people of Republic City to your role in saving our beloved arena from the Agni Kai menace."

Rin fought the urge to call him out on the utter torrent of crap coming out of his mouth, having dealt with dozens fitting his type many times, but knew that royal decorum meant she couldn't. Sometimes being Fire Lord was a pain. A small smile appeared on her as she inclined her head, still keeping the rest of her body at attention and perfect posture. "I thank you for your kind words. My father and Aang based this city on the idea of personal freedom and welcoming people from all the nations. Organizations like the Agni Kais threaten what they built together. Mark my words, whether they hide in the Fire Nation or here, I will find them."

"And the people of Republic City wish you well in your search efforts, Fire Lord. I believe that actually answers my question. Thank you."

She crisply turned away from the podium, stepping down and moving towards where the two of them sat. Over the uproar of the crowd that the Council Page struggled to get his voice heard over standing before the podium. "Would everyone please wait patiently while the Earth King approaches?"

Rin stopped and took the empty seat next to Makei. "Glad you two showed."

"Couldn't miss how every time you looked at one of them, they shrank a few good inches." Makei said.

"It helps to pass the time with the drivel I have to feed them."

Makei chuckled, brushing his chin as he glanced over and noticed Councilman Wu sitting in of the other chairs, with Pok in the other. "Don't really know how to ask this, but someone like Wu is not councilman material, Rin. You have the final veto in the decision, why send the old man over?"

The Fire Lord leveled him with a wry look and a quiet smirk. "Completely selfish reasons, I have to admit. That man is the most vocal opponent against the direction the Fire Nation is going in. Where it should be." At Makei's curious expression, she shook her head. "The old fart has a hard-on for the 'old' and 'pure' days under Ozai. I sent him as the new representative because it is a purely bureaucratically position where he will be hard-pressed to stir up any trouble in the Fire Nation." Rin nodded and glanced at Lin. "Will Tenzin live?"

Makei tuned out a little, not because of the mention of his injured longtime friend, but because Rin's reasons about sending Wu as Councilman worried him a little. Coupled with the Agni Kais making a name for themselves again, he wouldn't be surprised if they had connections with the old man. He needed to investigate this when he had the chance.

Lin folded her arms and watched the crowd as they moved and whispered uncomfortably, beginning to notice that the gigantic statuesque Earth King seemed to be absent. "He's stable now. Shouldn't be too long until he wakes up."

"Good. A man like Tenzin is hard to come by these days." Rin's golden eyes darkened as she stared ahead. "When the idiot who did this to him shows his face, I'll burn it off."

"Get in line, Fire Lord." Makei answered her first, watching the thin gaunt man seated near them stand up and adjust his sage green travelling coat, before clasping his hands behind his back and walking smoothly towards the now empty podium stand. "Where's King Kong?"

"The golem didn't show. That shifty secretary of his did though."

"Strange."

The gaunt man at the podium calmly scanned the crowd, slowly and with enough detail that many reports in the crowd visibly shifted around, growing uncomfortable under his planned gaze. "My deep apologies for my lord's absence from today's proceedings. Mounting unrest back in the Earth Kingdoms has forced him and the majority of his retinue to depart immediately for Ba Sing Se to placate the situation. I myself will only be staying a short while before taking leave as well."

"Mounting _resistance_, he means." Rin muttered.

The man from before with the green fedora held up his hand to gain the thin man's attention. "Secretary Koa, I have-"

"Mr Yun. Please." 'Koa' leveled a fleeting look straight at the man, looking him in the eye with such steel that he fell silent. "As I stated I must depart shortly. But I have a few details I'd like to share with you all..."

Lin could have sworn he had looked straight at her for a moment inside of a heartbeat, a look of pure triumph in his eyes. "What-"

"During the confusion gripping the city I had been taking of my lord's affairs at City Hall, and witnessed the culprit responsible for Councilman Tenzin's grave condition."

He just stood there, calm as ever and as expressive as a rock while the reporters and journalists making up the crowd shouted at the top of their lungs, competing over one another to be the one to ask the only question that mattered. "Mr Yun?"

"I think I speak for all of us gathered here, including commander Beifong, commander Makei and Fire Lord Rin, when I ask who the culprit is. Well?"

"His own student. His only living relative is a known Equalist terrorist by the name of Tarrin, and in order to further their agenda and fuel panic and confusion among us _benders_, he tried to assassinate Tenzin. Luckily he botched the attempt, but in the process has escaped out into the countryside with councilman Shizu as a hostage."

"I was shocked myself to see _his_ _student_ of all people, to turn on him like that. But after knowing that the boy is related to _Amon_, I'm afraid it was only inevitable."

The crowd bayed and roared, any more questions among them unintelligible as the secretary bowed to them all and left the podium, flanked by his retainers wearing dark wide hats.

"You gotta be kidding me." Makei murmured, not able to believe the crowd just lapped it all up.

_Shōu K__ǒ__u General Hospital, Room 36._

Kya yawned and stretched, blinking away the sleep in her eyes. She didn't realize how much she needed that sleep.

The sight that greeted her was still the same as it had been when she closed her eyes. Still hanging on, still slowly recovering.

That was the worst part about it. _Slowly._

She frowned when she looked around for Pema and her children, remembering that none of them had left Tenzin's side at all during the long time they had devoted to visit him. She knew Tenzin wouldn't have wanted any of them to do that, he would have wanted them to be out doing what they want and-

Kya violently clamped down on the runaway thought. Wouldn't have wanted. That was what people said when talking about someone who didn't have a chance of recovery or was beyond _help_.

She'd be damned if she would let that happen to her little brother.

A knock on the room's door took her attention.

"It's open." she called out, rubbing at her eyes as she stood up and stretched, but kept close to Tenzin to keep a watch over him.

Immediately the door opened, making little noise as she turned to see who was there. She stopped in her tracks, momentarily lost in memories long unseen at the sight of the tall young man standing there, a serious look in his midnight blue eyes as he noticed Tenzin in the hospital bed.

He shook his head and blinked as he looked at her, bowing his head with respect. "Lady Kya. My name is Lieutenant Boto, I'm a investigator with the Police Force."

She nodded hurriedly, relieved that he didn't seem to notice her freeze before. "You're a waterbender? Didn't you study under my mother as a boy?"

"Yes. My father was one of her disciples. Kurso." Boto stood at the foot of the hospital bed.

"Was?"

"He... passed away." Kya noticed how he looked away and at the floor as he said that, confirming her suspicions and deepening her worry at the same time. "Lady Kya, I came here to ask you something."

"What?"

"I need to know everything about Yakone. Anything that can link him to Rorik and the Monsoons."

_Quzon Apartment Complex, Red Dragon District._

She finally had some time to herself to follow through on her promise.

Asami tightened the waist-straps on her trenchcoat, her breathing restricted for a moment as the fabric hugged her waist and refused to slacken before eventually easing out. Before ducking out of the tram stop shelter, she took a moment to pull a knurled metal rod with stiff fabric wound around it from out of her coat.

Shaking it free she held it out in front of her and depressed a button on the bottom of the rod. The upper segments lengthened as each one telescoped to its full length, ending with the section with the stiff fabric wound around it as the end piece.

She pushed another button and undid the clasp on the little strip keeping the fabric trapped, resulting in it stretching outwards from the handle until the thin metal rods supporting it reached their full length and stopped at fixed points.

Every night she had spent inside her mother's study had shown her new and different ideas, concepts that her mother had dreamed up or discarded as fantasies. This 'umbrella' was among them.

There were other rooms in that gargantuan labyrinth she hadn't even looked at after what she had been forced to stop her father... places on the grounds she just locked up and threw away the key to.

Shaking the thought away she held the umbrella up straight, the rain making a pitter-patter sound as it hit the rigid crimson shell sheltering her and rolled down the sides. She had seen numerous teams of waterbenders across the streets she took to get here, called in to divert the torrential downpours into nearby sewer grates, where they would collect at treatment stations and be purified.

If there was one positive aspect of the Agni Kai attack, it was that the city wouldn't run out of drinking water for quite some time.

A maw of teeth presented itself to her and she nearly jumped, before seeing that it was just one statue of a _A-un _pair. They were both likenesses of a coiled dragon, its majestic head resting over the top of its body and staring outwards with a regal expression. They were pretty much identical except that their bodies were coiled in opposite directions, and one had firestones as its eyes, while the other had moondrops.

Asami muttered a dark curse under her breath and shot both statues a dark look, and moved up the steps towards the main doors.

Her boots clicked against the polished stone floor in the lobby, echoing off the walls as she spied the reception desk and saw that nobody was manning. Asami frowned, thinking that maybe she should come back when the the elevator doors at the end of the lobby dinged, signalling that someone had just come down the shaft. Hana stepped out, stuffing a roll of gauze and a deck of cards in her pocket. She watched the girl wringing her hands and casting worried looks back at the elevator before stopping her tracks. "Asami! Um, hi!"

"Hello, Hana... you okay?" Asami smiled, wondering what the problem was.

"Well..." Hana sighed, dropping her arms and shaking her head. "Not really. Mako hasn't come out of his room. After what happened to Bolin... I thought he would have needed some cheering up so I've been checking up on him. Also..."

Asami felt a sense of foreboding coming on as Hana hesitated. "Wait, so he's up there right now?"

"As far as I can tell. He hasn't been out of his apartment since his partner dragged him in from the street. He was out cold. Asami... I think he was in some kind of fight."

"A fight? But-" Hana moved forward and pressed something into her hand.

"Here. This will unlock his room. You're his close friend right?"

Her thoughts immediately started pointing to no, not even _close_, more _acquaintances_, but then... they changed completely. And she felt some kind of flutter she hadn't felt in a while. A betraying feeling of warmth. "I- I suppose." Asami said quietly, closing her fingers around the key.

"Good luck." Hana flashed her a uneasy smile, before quickly dropping it and shaking her head as she moved back towards the reception desk. Asami could have sworn she was muttering something to herself, sounded like a argument actually.

She looked at the elevator, and walked in.

The button for floor 5 winked at her with yellow light, and the bell dinged as her surroundings lurched to a halt.

Asami waited as the bell rang once more as the elevator completely stilled, and a brass latch on the door clicked as it unlocked. She looked at the curvy handle above it and pulled down on it, pushing the door open with her other hand.

The hinges of the door only squeaked a little, testament to the lavish maintenance the owner of the building could afford.

She stepped out into a hallway, its high-end white plaster walls and dark wood flooring standing out immediately to her. A life-time of attending parties, some of which she didn't even want to go to, were held inside lavish buildings like City Hall or even just at the Sato mansion. The rules at them had been ingrained in her, and she made sure to only walk on the crimson carpet rolling the entire length of the hallway, stopping at a endtable with a vase of flowers sitting on it. Its usually golden petals now a pale yellow because of the dismal weather outside.

The hallway looked like the color was being drained out of it as she started to explore its length, keeping a mental tally on each door that passed her on either side. All of them were closed, muffling the sounds of a radio and its blues-inducing jazz music, or the arguing between two voices, or even just quiet whispering that sounded on the verge of tears to her, all of them spurring her to move more quickly.

Finally she had passed six doors on either side before finding Room #7. His room.

It was like she had just run into a invisible force. No matter what excuse she conjured up about going in there to check up on him she just couldn't lifted her hand to knock on the door. Asami wasn't even sure if she really _wanted_ to find out. Her eyes narrowed as poisonous thoughts took her attention. Why should she? He didn't even bat a eye when Oranis held her hostage during the attack, he barely acknowledged her presence, and at best only talked to her if Bolin was around... Not to mention the crap he put her through concerning_Korra. Why should she-_

Asami fought to even think about anything else. She fought hard to push those thoughts down even a little, at least enough to let her make up her mind about going in there.

Before she could convince herself not to, she rapped the smooths surface, two meaty knocks against the wood. "Hey. It- its me. Just wanted to check up on you." She waited a few seconds for a reply, hearing nothing upon nothing.

_Just go in_.

Not sure whether to stop herself or not, she slid the key into the handle's slot and turned it. The door wavered slightly in response as the lock unlocked. She pushed it open, slowly revealing a dismally lit room. She saw the horizontal blinds on the large window ahead had been half-opened, each slit showing different sections of the same rain-smeared window behind it.

She took a few unsure steps into the room, closing the door behind her. She stiffened when she spotted Mako in the corner of her eye, sitting on his sofa and staring blankly at the wall next to the window. Wearing a dirty singlet and a pair of black pants. She looked down at her feet, noticing a empty glass bottle, hexagonal in shape with only a small amount of dark golden liquid left inside it.

Amberei.

Mako held a bottle like it by the neck, a bandage shoddily wrapped around his hand and another over his shoulder. "Not now, Asami." he murmured, staring at the bottle in his hand like it was a puzzle.

"Um. Hey." Asami hugged herself as she came further into the room, standing in front of the window and hooking one of the blinds with her finger, pulling down slightly to peer through it at the dismal grey expanse outside. "I came over to check up on you." Asami suppressed a shiver, wondering why it was so cold in here.

"I failed, Asami." he murmured, not even looking at her. instead he just kept staring at the bottle. "I _tried_. I really did." He shook his head, narrowing his eyes in distaste.

He took another swig, the top of his arm now showing to her, angry red burns marching from his wrist to just above his elbow. Her eyes widened, and a memory of her mother threatened to overwhelm her. She closed her eyes to make sure it would stay just that, and then took a deep breath. She moved closer. "Mako. Your arm-"

She didn't say anything as she looked at him, moving a little closer towards the slightly worn looking sofa, but still putting a little distance between him and her. "Tried? Mako, where did you disappear to? And your arm, its-"

His golden eyes stopped her cold as they swung to focus on her. "Remember that carriage ride through the park?"

That was... _ancient history_ to Asami. But even so, she could still remember it clearly. The feeling of being completely safe from anything in the world. It seemed so long ago since she had even felt something close to that. "You didn't want the scarf I got you." She murmured, her eyes focusing on the worn and yet still bright red scarf resting on the firebender's chest. "Because that one was all you had of your father."

Mako absent-mindedly stroked the crimson scarf resting on his chest. "Yeah." He said quietly, eyes going soft. "It was the only thing that firebender didn't take when he mugged my parents."

Her blood went cold. "Mugged. You mean-"

"Yeah. Scarf was the _only_ thing he didn't take from them. I was eight when it happened." Mako's voice almost grew to a whisper as he stopped stroking the scarf, his gaze now firmly on the bottle in his other hand. "And now a firebender nearly took Bolin from me."

"But you didn't catch her." She whispered, knowing somewhere deep down she wasn't going to like what was coming next.

"She ambushed me. I woke up in some kind of factory the Agni Kais had taken over. Their 'Dragonshead' came to see me personally. Kazon."

"Mako..."

"He did it Asami. He killed my 'traitorous mother' and her 'earthbending street-rat'."

Asami's breath caught in her throat, just listening to how matter-of-fact he made it sound like.

A tear. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, shaking his head as his eyes started to water. A bitter laugh came out him, hollow and hoarse. "Guess we're more alike than you thought. Huh?"

Without thinking about it too much, she moved again, gingerly sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa he sat on, facing him. She looked at him the entire time, hoping at least something could comfort him as she slowly laced her fingers around his, and pried the bottle loose from his grip. She sat it down on the floor, holding onto his hand the entire time and not looking _away_.

A ray of sunlight filtered through one of the gaps in the window's blinds.

_Air Temple Island, Republic City._

He counted his lucky stars that the large expanse of grey clouds that had settled over the city with a constant downpour had finally moved on, and had even allowed the setting sun a chance to shine, filling every cloud he saw with a pale yellow warmth and putting a shine on the bay waters below his speeding profile.

Tai adjusted his grip on the glider's handles with practiced ease, doing his best to ignore the spray that occasionally jumped up into his face and left a salty taste in his mouth, his eyes narrowed.

Korra should have controlled himself. She shouldn't have done that to him.

Being on that island near _her_ wasn't a option. He needed to clear his head, empty his thoughts, and being near her... He supposed it had always been like that around her. He shook his head and focused on what was in front of him. All he wanted to do right now was to fly the glider.

The wind picked up and buffeted him around, forcing him to fight to keep the glider level and straight as he flew over the waves of Yue bay, his sights set on the cluster of buildings ahead sitting on the waterfront.

He flew over the first cluster of buildings, a few in the crowds walking below, mainly children, pointing up at him or tugging on their parents legs and _then_ pointing up at him. Their laughter carried up there easily, and he looked upwards a little, wishing the wings weren't a bright and clear orange color.

Soon the laughter of the children below faded from his hearing as he flew deeper into the waterfront district, seeing that a few of them managed to keep up with him as they ran through winding side-streets and tiny alleyways, but eventually he left all of them behind as he rose over the steadily taller buildings, climbing high enough to start getting a chill just by staying at that height.

Suddenly and incredibly, a growl erupted from his stomach, even if it wasn't several _magnitudes _louder than the rushing wind he still definitely felt it rip through him.

Tai grimaced as he dipped the glider down, going lower now that the buildings had shrunk.

A smell wafted up to him, carried by a updraft of air. It filled his nose with a slightly pungent and salty flavor and instantly his stomach recognized what it was. Sea Prune Noodles.

Taking charge it directed him to once again to dip the glider to a lower height, angling towards a little-side street hemmed in on both sides by soaring buildings. Some of them dark with no lights coming from behind their boarded windows and no noise from the scaffolding hugging them. Some threw off large amounts of noise, each coming from a brightly lit window. Above all of this he heard the tell-tale heavy whump-whump of airship propellers, fixed to a airship docked at the top of one of the buildings.

He took the glider into a dive, the wind whistling past his ears with a shrill noise as he shot through the space in front of the airship's cylinder, making straight for street-level below.

Concentrating a little he focused on slowing the rushing air currents around the glider, considerably slowing his descent and allowing him to safely land on the footpath just outside Narook's.

Standing the glider on end, he shook it a little to fold the brass rods back into the shaft, now appearing like a ordinary piece of wood.

As he glanced around the side-street overshadowed by the tall buildings, his gaze slid over a dark alleyway across the road on the opposite side. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the broken earthy protusions sticking out from one of the alley's walls, where he had been pinned against unable to do anything.

With a grunt of annoyance he turned around and stalked towards the lit up profile of Narook's Noodlery. He passed a few of the lit lanterns sitting on the wall next to the entrance, their flames small but bright.

Tai stopped a moment, just as he was about to flick up a hand to move the blue curtain aside to let him into the interior. He stared at the flame as it danced and wave, and opened his hand.

He shook his head with a scowl, and stalked through the curtain. Behind him the flame gained a violent flicker.

"You gonna pay for those?" Tai frowned at the sight of a familiar earthbender sitting at the bar with his arm in a sling, several _towers_ of sea-blue bowls stacked in front of him. Narook had his arms folded as he tapped his foot, waiting for his answer.

"So sorry! I, just hang on a minute while I-" Ling looked about, keeping a big grin directed at the surly Water Tribe man while he glanced around the bar, finally noticing Tai standing there. He slapped the counter and jerked a thumb at him. "Ah ha! My friend has arrived!"

"Huh." Narook glanced at him. "You look smaller without that coat on, kid. This weirdo a pal of yours?"

He stopped in his tracks and shrugged. "I suppose." Tai dug around in his pocket, directing a sharp glare at Ling as he tossed a pouch of yuans to Narook. "Here. Just keep the change."

Narook nodded as he caught the pouch. "Didn't take you for the big spender type."

Tai's reply caught in his throat as he thought about where he got the money from. "Uh. Yeah." He looked away for a moment, reminded once again.

"I'm not gonna pass up this charity." Narook muttered as he tipped the pouch up, spilling the generous amount of golden yuans inside into the palm of his calloused hand. He sighed as he pocketed the change and began to make a dent on the leaning cluster of bowls, taking away one of the stacks through a side-door. "Thanks, kid." He glanced at Ling. "And you. Count yourself lucky. Idiot."

Ling held up his hand in greeting with a big smile. "So hows it going?"

"Peachy. Gonna be hard explaining to Pema how I spent that money. You owe me."

"Yep. Another save it seems. You're good at that. Any longer and that creepy old man would have made mincemeat out of me."

Tai laid his head on the counter, facing away from Ling. "Right. You can cut the act, you know."

"Who said its an act? I try to be cheery when there's a lot of bad stuff going on."

"Right."

"As I was leaving the hospital I saw the Councilman's family visiting him." Ling leveled a questioning look at him, a hint of the stone-like hardness visible. "Aren't you close to him? I thought you would have visited him by now."

"What's it to you whether I visit him or not?"

"You and I are similar. That's why." Ling's tone was strikingly tough, almost strict even. He grimaced, thinking that there was so much more to this guy than he could possibly know. "Back in the Earth Kingdom I always took my friends for granted. I distanced myself from them. When they're not there anymore, that's when you realise you should have done something. Just a thought." Tai didn't say anything as the earthbender got off his seat, gingerly holding his arm carefully against his side as he stopped by the flap leading outside. "I consider you a friend. Tenzin as well. Goodbye."

Tai's eyes narrowed as he gave the bar top close scrutiny. "Deep guy, aren't you?" He muttered.

_Air Acolyte Private Pier._

Still, now that he had time to think about it. Ling was right.

He stopped at the start of the wooden pier jutting out over the water for quite a distance, several paths branching off from it for multiple small to medium sized ships to dock and start unloading their passengers or cargo.

Tai thought that as he got closer to going back to that island, having to face the stupid decision he made and having to face Pema and the kids... he thought it would be tougher, almost impossible for him to even think about stepping foot there.

Pushing the mental commentary aside for now, he decided to grit his teeth and bare it and walked with purpose along the length of the pier until reaching one a point where he could spot someone standing at the edge of the pier, a small travel bag in his hand by his side.

Smalltalk wasn't on his mind as he picked up the pace, seeing the ferry ship speeding back across the water towards the pier at speed. He saw that the man was wearing crimson clothes, putting him on a little edge for a moment until he got closer, now able to get a cleared picture of the man.

Tai stopped in his tracks when he saw a hint of burnt red skin on the left side of the old man's face. And the topknot his grey hair was done up in.

The old man turned around and smiled warmly at him. "Long time no see, boy."

"Zuko? What are you doing here?" Bewildered, all of his thoughts and troubles drained away, replaced by curiosity.

"Just got here from the Order of the White Lotus's compound at the South Pole." Zuko's tone lowered a bit. "I heard about Tenzin. And the Agni Kai attack. Katara sent me in order to assist Korra with keeping the peace."

"Yeah." Tai looked at his feet. "Things have gotten messed up in the past couple of days." He wondered if he should tell Zuko about Telei, maybe he could help or-

"I'm also here because of Telei. Whatever he's thinking to have planned something like this... I can't let anything else happen to Republic City. Or to you and Korra. Facing him like that at the South Pole... what were you thinking?" Zuko's voice took on a harsh tone, the same he would use to chastise his daughter or grandson.

The boy hung his head and didn't say a word.

Zuko heaved a heavy sigh. "So to that end... I've decided that I'll be teaching you and Korra lightningbending. At least something to allow yourselves to be protected from Telei."

土


	28. The Positive and the Negative

土

* * *

_Republic City Central Station, Foreman's office._

Paperwork was a grim necessity in his line of work.

It held no appeal to him. Endless stacks of transcripts, minutes, overviews and when on occasion on his many subordinates managed to complete their mission a detailed observation report on the movements and agendas of the rest of the Earth Kingdom's ruling party… it just got tiresome after a while, writing line upon line to detail exactly what he required of his agents.

Although recently he had been free of that obligation, he had truly enjoyed testing his skills out in the field again, even if they were spent chasing after the prodigal son of his liege and master.

He arched an eyebrow at intruding noise, a muffled thud in the hallways outside of the dusty little office he had forced the station foreman to vacate from.

Kao went back to his paperwork with a small nod. Of course before he sat down and ran through all of his paperwork, he cleaned up anything which could be used to track his movements.

For good measure he had already placed several bugs in the room for when the foreman was allowed back in, just to keep a tab on anyone of consequence used the repugnant city's primitive rail network.

It made him think. So many opportunities to be earned in this city. Refugees. Immigrants. Citizens from the rest of the three nations just flocked here because of so-called 'opportunity'.

The Dai Li Director sighed as he turned a sheet over. Honestly he'd much prefer this cesspool of a slum back in Earth Kingdom hands where it originally belonged. At least it would serve as a useful production site.

Another muffled thud. Closer this time.

He shook his head as he held up his hand, picking up the slate-colored glove on the corner of the desk and slipping it over his hand. He flexed and the smooth surface thickened and split apart into several smooth pebbles. Kao also looked over the clear green needle slung onto a simple black bracer under his sleeve. Just as the door knob began to rattle.

Kao placed his elbows on either side of the desk, and laced his fingers together in patient wait for the young man. No doubt he had fought through all of his guards, infiltrated the upper levels of the train terminal, all for some misguided sense of protection towards his fellow equalists. Or his infinitely more interesting sibling.

One of his guards, his personal aide he noted with some inconvenience, fell through the doorway onto the floor of the office with a sigh, a few of his teeth broken. "I expected a stealthier approach from one such as you. Oh well."

Tarrin stepped over the unconscious Dai Li agent, one of his sabers in his hand and the other in its sheath. He glared at Kao from underneath the hood. "Dangerous stunt you pulled, old man."

"So you heard my radio announcement, then?"

"They'll never believe you." Tarrin said, making sure that the Director was in his sight at all times.

"Oh? The word of a Equalist will convince them otherwise?"

"The Avatar, she'll-"

"Once again, no. The people think that she ran away in a time of need from the Pro-bending Arena, only to be found hours later at City Hall."

"One wrong move and I'll end you."

"Such hostility. You aren't a fan of my methods?"

Kao clasped his hands and leaned back in the rickety chair, a open smile on him. He tilted his head, once again interested in acquiring the technology that went into the saber Tarrin currently had leveled at him. "Not remotely. Why are you targeting him?"

"I have my reasons."

"So _explain_ them." Tarrin growled.

The Dai Li Director nodded. "I have to say. I never thought that a non-bender could do so well at irritating me. You ask me why I am targeting your younger sibling? Its not airship science. He has interesting abilities that I wish to acquire. He would make a good asset." Kao shrugged."Or at the very least a good study in genetics from keeping him for testing. It is also a stroke of luck that he is close with the Avatar as well."

Tarrin's eyes narrowed. "I won't let you take him. Or control the Avatar."

"You won't let me? I've observed you for quite some time, Tarrin. You've let a lot of things just _happen_. Like what happened to your village for example."

"You-" Tarrin's grip tightened immensely on his saber, and he couldn't, _didn't,_ do anything to stop his other hand from slowly reaching towards the other.

"I know that the terrorist that called himself Amon had been living with your family for two years before the incident. And I know that you went with him and became his protege. If the revolution had succeeded, would he have made it so that you would take over in his place?"

"How do you-"

"I know everything I need to know in my line of business. History aside, I have a deal to strike with you know that you are in the open."

The sliding rasp of Tarrin's second saber answered him.

Kao chuckled. "I would hold off on doing that. I am sure you will want to know what happens if you do not listen to me." The Director's eyes suddenly lost any semblance of light or even feeling to them. A flat and deadly green. " I have men stationed around your precious little White Lotus Agent's current location. I doubt in her condition she could put up much resistance."

Tarrin's breath caught. "Yem..." he muttered under his breath. "Go." He ordered, knowing that he was trapped.

"I want you to come to a little meeting in a secluded location in two days time. I have someone I would like to give to you."

"Not interested-"

"Councilman Shizu. I give him to you and you deliver Avatar Korra to me. I will also clear your brothers name and leave him be from now on. My men and I will be waiting in the Central Air Observatory, on the tiān shàng plateau."

He made sure no emotion showed on his face. Did he seriously think he would hand over the _Avatar_ just like that? But if it was to safeguard his little brother... he had to act carefully here. "Deal."

Tarrin's eyes narrowed as on either side of him a Dai Li Agent appeared to melt through the wall into the office. "Figures it was too easy to get in here." Using reflexes honed by years of hard training with Amon and the Lieutenant, he dropped to the floor and unclipped his belt. The loop of simple leather dropped to the floor at his feet as he dived forward, making sure all he could see was the floor and the dark interior of his hood as the silver canisters on the belt went off

His heart appeared to be pounding in his throat as he planted a foot on the table, gaining momentum as he lunged for the only window in the office. As he turned his shoulder to take the brunt of the glass he caught a flash of green shooting upwards, drawing a sharp gasp out of him as it pierced his shoulder like it was butter.

The Director heard the window shatter behind him as he opened his eyes and blinked, now that the flashbangs had fizzed out. His two agents got to their feet clumsily, off-balance as their ears rang and they blinked the stars away.

Kao's ears popped as they recovered from the ringing, and he scanned the room. "Report."

The two agents recovered as quickly as they could and stood at attention. "Sir, the assassin, we can pursue-"

"No. He can do the rest."

* * *

_Air Temple Island, Republic City._

Korra opened her eyes, reaching a hand to rub at them. She felt exactly the same she did the night before. Drained. Just drained.

Not even the fact that Zuko was on the island, to _teach her lightningbending_ even, got her spirits up.

She sat up in her bed, and rubbed a ache on her shoulder where the spirit-scar used to be. Naga lifted her head off her paws, yawning and tilting her head to look at her. The Polar-Bear Dog made a whining noise.

"Yeah, girl." Korra hung her head, still filled with a endless repetition of that moment on the cliffs with him. Still unable to process what happened. "Me too." She murmured, narrowing her eyes and looking down at the twisted sheets.

Craning her neck to look at the window, she saw a group of lemurs fly past with the backdrop of a light grey sky behind them. She sighed, at least a little glad it was no longer raining.

Trying to focus on something else apart from what was in her head, she ran a hand through her hair, her fingers almost instantly getting entangle in the twisted mess. She growled and tugged, gasping and accidentally biting her tongue as she accidentally tugged too much.

Korra rubbed her hair gingerly as she swung her legs out over the floor, standing up and moving towards the nearby wardrobe and flinging it open. She peered inside, her eyes adjusting to the gloom within until she spotted her hair tubes sitting next to each other on the middle shelf, next to her twisted up blue shirt.

She grabbed the shirt, turning and tossing it on the bed and grabbing the bottom of the white singlet she wore. She lifted it up over her head, wriggling free and tossing it into the wardrobe. Korra picked up her blue shirt and slipped it on, doing up the buttons before reaching back in the wardrobe and grabbing her hair tubes.

As she tilted her head to each side, grabbing a length of the hair above her ears and slipping the hair tubes on, there was a knock on the door. Korra stopped for a moment as Naga lifted her head up, ears swiveling a the noise. "Korra?" Eska's voice filtered through, slightly muffled. "Are you awake?" Giggling, not coming from her, but a more childish voice, filtered through as well.

Korra held up the back of her hair as she moved towards the door, keeping i straight as she slid on the last hair tube to form her wolftail. She opened the door, rubbing at her eyes again and blinking. "Hey, Eska."

Her cousin inclined her head. "Are you well, cousin? Father asked me to check up on you."

"Just getting ready for training with Zuko." Eska made stepped back to give her room to move into the hallway. Korra glanced at her younger cousin. "Why did he ask you to check up on me?"

"We'll be leaving the island soon. I..." Korra swore she saw Eska's cheeks blush as she looked at the floor. "I wanted to visit Bolin at the hospital. To see how he is faring. Have you... have you been to visit him?"

"Haven't really had the time." She said quickly, knowing that stepping into that room would just be too much for her to bear. "I've got training to do."

"Okay... I was thinking you could join us when we depart for the hospital-"

"Eska. Training comes first." She hated the harsh way she said that, but it needed to be done. She couldn't visit Bolin now. She needed to get stronger to first, to make sure he or anybody else wouldn't get hurt again. Training was her only priority.

"It is your decision, cousin." Eska nodded once, but didn't look at her her.

A thought entered Korra's head. "You can take Naga though. She needs the walk." She turned and brought a hand to her mouth, whistling to Naga. The Polar-bear Dog stood up and padded towards her, pushing her snout forward for Korra to rub. "Go with Eska, girl."

Naga barked once, startling Eska a little. "Yue. She still does that?" Eska's voice slightly trembled before she regained her composure, gently stroking the side of the Polar-Bear Dog's snout.

A smirk played on Korra as she folded her arms. "Yep."

Eska smiled unsurely and led the way, Naga padding along behind her with each step sending a creak through the floorboards, while Korra walked alongside Naga's flank. She wrung her hands and dropped her gaze to the floor now that Eska's view of her was barred by Naga.

Her cousin gently took hold of Naga's lead and guided her left so that she padded towards the open doubledoors leading outside. Waiting just before the first of the steps leading down was Unalaq and Desna.

Unalaq smiled tightly at Korra, waiting until Eska had moved to the side with Naga before striding across and placing a hand on his niece's shoulder. "How are you doing, Korra?"

She immediately perked up, plastering a smile on to make sure he wouldn't ask any questions. "Fine, uncle."

"I know we haven't seen much of each other recently. But we'll be staying in Republic City for a while now-" He stopped and glanced at his children. "Desna. Eska. Will you two start heading down to the dock now? I must speak with your cousin for a few minutes. I won't be long."

Desna's eyebrow twitched but he didn't say anything. He bowed. "As you wish, father." Naga barked into his ear, giving him a slobbery lick on the cheek as Eska guided her down the steps. He closed his eyes and murmured something. "We're bringing Naga with us?"

Unalaq arched a eyebrow and turned to Korra. "Yeah, Des. She'll cheer Bolin up."

"I wish it wouldn't lick me like that." Desna sighed and bowed again. "We'll be waiting for you, father." He turned around and went down the steps, following his sister and the lumbering Polar-Bear Dog.

The Chief of the Northern Water Tribe turned back to Korra, then moved forward towards the meditation pond. He stared into its depths as Korra started to wring her hands again, joining him with a sigh. "You're not yourself."

She didn't say anything. "Remember when we visited you at the White Lotus Compound when you were ten years old?"

"The first time I knew I had a uncle." Korra said quietly, hugging herself as she stared into the water. Thoughts elsewhere.

"You nearly singed my eyebrows with your firebending, since I looked like Tonraq but wasn't him. You thought I was some kind of trick." He said, chuckling a little. "I definitely knew you were my niece after that moment. My brother acted the same way when we grew up in the Northern Water Tribe."

Unalaq paused for a moment and glanced at her. "I know what happened to Tenzin still haunts you."

"Will he be better?" Korra whispered.

"I don't know."

Korra wasn't she if that was the answer she wanted or the answer she dreaded. She nodded once. "I feel lost without him." She glanced to the side, looking over the steps leading down the main part of the island, looking over the cliffs that sat astride the dock towards the city in the distance. "I don't know what to do without his guidance." She thought back to the spirits at the South Pole and glanced at her uncle.

"You can come to me anytime, Korra." She nodded, still wringing her hands as her uncle left to go down the steps.

"Wait. Uncle-" She looked down at the ground for a moment as he turned to glance at her. "You and dad were having a argument. Back at the White Lotus compound. What- was it about?"

Unalaq's face hardened as his shoulders sagged. "It was about the spirits that attacked you and your friends. They've been sighted in the Northern Water Tribe as well."

A shiver went down Korra, but despite that she nodded. "Can you say hello to Bolin for me?"

He smiled and nodded. "Of course, niece."

* * *

_Training Grounds, Air Temple Island._

"Again!"

"This isn't training, this is torture!" Tai shouted as he broke into a desperate sprint , yelping as he swerved to avoid being cooked by a large gout of fire sweeping towards him at head-level. He dived underneath it, clumsily popping back up and continuing to dodge the rest of the fireballs.

One came too close for comfort so he threw up a hand, blasting it into wisps with a quick stream of air. Zuko growled in annoyance and pushed both hands forward, a great river of fire barrelled towards him, churning and burning a bright orange. "No airbending! Focus on your flames!"

Sweat poured from him as he dived to the side, gritting his teeth as he forced himself not to use airbending. He rocked on the balls of his feet, constantly on the move and never finding a moment to stop as Zuko kept up a relentless barrage of fire; each time at a different strength, or differently sized, or even timed differently, even managing to come at him from every conceivable angle. It was like trying to dodge a rainstorm. Except the rain was fire.

Everywhere Tai looked was somewhere Zuko could attack from. There was no point running to avoid the next fireball. He stood his ground, eyeing the hazy silhouette of the old man through the large shroud of smoke now covering the arena, seeing a fuzzy orange glow in the palm of his hand.

He tilted his head, but had a feeling he knew what was coming next. He watched as the glow grew smaller and smaller, from engulfing the entirety of Zuko's hand to becoming no more than a tiny point in the middle of his upraised palm.

Tai blinked once. And saw that it had grown into a great wall of fire, now roaring towards him, consuming everything in its path. His eyes widened as fear filled him, faced with the same fire, the same destructive force that destroyed his _home_ and, and- He stood there, frozen as he felt immense heat on his face-

The wall of fire extinguished itself and he was left with a view of Zuko standing there. The old man dropped his hand and sighed. "You hesitated. You froze."

"I-" It was all he could say, all he thought he could _ever _say, but it didn't get any further then that.

"If you ever want to come close to Telei's level, you can't freeze like that!" Zuko raised his voice.

"Well maybe running me _ragged_ with a constant barrage isn't the best way to train me!"

"I-" Zuko screwed his eyes shut and sighed again. He shook his head. "I should apologize. You aren't ready for that level of bending yet." Zuko rubbed his chin. "You are quick on your feet though." He picked up the sword laying on the ground at his feet, inside its sheath. "Very well. Time to switch to something you're more comfortable with." He tossed the sword towards Tai.

Tai snatched it out of the air with a confused expression.

"I want you to focus your bending at the sword. Project a sheath of wind around the blade." Zuko clasped his hands behind his back and inclined his head, giving Tai his full attention.

"Okay... Done this one a couple of times." Tai dragged his sword out of its sheath, bending down to place the sheath on the ground and holding the sword horizontally in front of him, the edge of the blade facing upwards. His eyes caught the inscription at the base of the silvery metal for a moment, before he blinked and refocused.

Starting with his hand open and fingers splayed over where the blade met the hilt he took a deep breath, and with a grunt, ran his hand along the blade's length, gradually covering it with a constantly shifting 'sheath' of turbulent air that threw off a ferocious buzzing noise. Almost on the level of a actual buzzsaw. "Th- there." He grunted, letting a smirk appear at how easily he did that.

Zuko nodded as a jet of fire appeared over his hand. "Think fast." He aimed it at Tai and flames erupted towards the boy in a spiralling stream. Tai gritted his teeth but didn't budge or dodge as the flames approached, he waited until the last moment, right as the flames were about to slam into him with full force when he bent low and sliced upwards, his blade humming as the wind sliced through the fire and sucked out all of the oxygen fueling it. The spiral column of fire kept rushing forwards, only to be sucked into the miniature hurricane until even the smallest wisp was snuffed out.

The roar died down and Zuko nodded. "Good. Strong technique. Not bad. Of course Aang could do that with his eyes closed."

"So what?"

"Alright. Now use your firebending to coat your blade in flames. Using your airbending as a base."

"I can do this." Tai muttered, his eyes glued to the blade to ensure the wind-sheath didn't stop spinning. He lit a flame in his other hand and slowly brought it towards the blade and the wind. He grunted, feeling the tug himself when the wind's influence threatened to suck the flame in and extinguish it. He took a deep breath and focused on pumping energy into the flame, feeding it to keep it lit and strong as he edged it closer and closer towards the spinning maelstrom.

The flame wavered a little as he held it over the blade and the mass. He closed his eyes and turned his hand over, making sure the flame was being kept alive as it started to stream into the maelstrom, adding streaks of warmth and light to the spinning mass gradually. The flame grew smaller in his palm as more and more sucked out and absorbed into the maelstrom, until the wavering and shimmering air took alight, and fire started to spin in its place.

His mouth hung open in awe as he stared down at the wavey red flames now engulfing the entirety of the blade. The spinning mass softly roared as the flames shifted and spun around it. He wondered what Korra would say if she saw this - Korra.

Without wanting it too, his mind focused on her, nothing _but _her, and all of a sudden the flames roared and raged, hissing and spitting at him. The flames near the base of the blade shot towards his hand, making him flinch and drop the blade on the ground.

His sword clattered and clanged, the air and flames emanating from it going out like a light.

Breathing heavily he stared at his hand, then at Zuko. "What just-"

"Firebending is highly dependent on emotion. I know you're stressed, with Tenzin-" Zuko stopped himself as he glanced to the side, seeing someone coming down the steps to the training ground. Interestingly enough, he noticed the boy immediately looking away or at something else, his face hard to read. Well, not for Zuko.

Korra stopped at the edge of the circle and bowed. "Sorry I am late Sifu hotman- I mean Zuko."

"I'm glad you could join us, Korra. Tai, stand over next to her."

"But-"

"Do you want another sparring session?" Zuko glanced at him with a twisted old-man smirk, watching as the boy gulped.

"Uh- okay." Tai grimaced. He picked up his sword and sheath and reluctantly started walking towards the edge of the circle, hoping he wouldn't catch Korra's eye or even catch any of her, preferring the ground at his feet instead. He stopped a distance away from her.

"Closer."

Scowling, he shuffled a little. "Perfect." he murmured under his breath.

"So. Lightningbending." Zuko clasped his hands behind his back and moved to the center of the circle, in between the yin and yang halves. "Korra. What do you know about lightningbending?"

"Its...my firebending instructor told me the basics. Its the purest expression of firebending as it doesn't run on emotion. Or passion." Korra glanced down at her feet, remembering her inability to even produce a spark when training at the compound. "I never got the hang of it."

"But you did excel at ordinary firebending. The physical aspect came easily to you."

She arched a eyebrow for a moment before confirming him with a nod. "Yeah."

"Alright. Tai. What were you taught? Your father was a firebender, correct?"

Tai shrugged and cast a flashing glance at Korra. "Same as her. Dad taught me that its the purest expression, known as the 'cold flame', stuff like that. I... never got the hang of it either." He looked down at his feet. "Must not be 'pure enough'." he muttered.

"Those are the bare essentials." Zuko confirmed, glancing at Tai and noticing the downcast look in his eyes. It reminded him of his difficulties learning lightningbending from his uncle when he was a boy. "Lightningbending is the purest expression of fire a firebender can achieve. Without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion like other firebending is. Some call it the cold-blooded fire because of its practitioners.

"Without emotion, huh?" Korra muttered.

"-It is precise and deadly. Much like my sister was. To perform the technique requires peace of mind."

"Question."

Korra glanced daggers at Tai as he held up his hand.

Zuko suppressed the smirk from showing and nodded. "Yes?"

"Tea calms the nerves doesn't it? Wouldn't that do the trick for peace of mind?"

"If you drink my tea, I promise you, you won't live to regret it."

Tai paled with a gulp. "Okay, continue."

The old man nodded, and indicated the white half of the circle and the black half on the opposite side. "There is energy all around us. Yin and Yang." Zuko pointed at his feet at the white half first, then the black half. "Positive. And negative energy."

The two of them nodded.

"It used to be that only a select few could successfully create lightning. But as technology evolved, so did lightningbending. Unfortunately the method many people learn is quick and dirty. Mass-produced."

"So what about the method you use?"

"It is the original method. To create lightning you must separate these positive and negative energies from one another to create a imbalance. When the positive and negative energy clash back together, it is then that you provide release and guidance. Observe." Zuko brought his palms together and straightened, closing his eyes and taking in a slow deep breath.

Tai and Korra both looked on as he opened his eyes. Not realising that the hairs on their necks were standing on end.

Zuko kept his index and middle fingers standing as he moved his hand in front of his face. A small iridescent spark crackled at the tip of Zuko's extended fingers, instantly growing into a twisting and sparking nimbus of energy that engulfed his fingertips. With the calmest expression he entered into a slow movement, widening his stance while sweeping his hand down with careful motion, a spark also covering his other hand as it moved in tandem with the first, but in the opposite direction.

The energy contained in his right hand disappeared with a wink, and the crackling mass in the other flared and buzzed with greater intensity. Zuko grunted as he aimed upwards into the sky, turning away from them to face the cliffs while throwing a hand out behind him as counterbalance for the chi.

Lightning, cold and blue erupted from his fingertips as a deadly thick bolt, arcing high into the sky and lighting up their surroundings with a blue flash and a great clap of noise, mutitudes of forking electricity lashed the open air, crackling and fizzling before slowly folding back into the greater stream as it began to fade and shrink to nothing in the space of a second, like it hadn't been there at all.

"I want to try it!" Tai spoke with awe, knowing that something that could hit that hard and that quickly would be his best hope if he ever ran into Telei again.

A ghost of a smirk played on Zuko's lips as he delved back into a old memory, remembering a boy around the same age saying those exact words and with that exact look in his eyes. "In due time. This is just a demonstration. We'll start off with basic firebending first. To get a sense of your skills-" He stopped Korra as she was about to raise her hand. "Yes. I know you're a master level firebender, Korra. But lightningbending is a different matter entirely. For Tai's benefit you will both start with the basics. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Korra nodded.

"Yeah, so when are you-"

Ikki and Meelo's familiar impish laughter interrupted them, and the two of them turned to see someone almost dragging themselves down the steps towards the training circle, weighed down by Meelo wrapped around his leg and Ikki sitting on his shoulders, rocking back and forth with a huge grin. His grey eyes seemed almost regretful as he stopped at the base of the stairs, followed by Jinora as she carefully watched him. "Um... greetings, Avatar." Tarrin said.

"Bro?"

Korra's eyes widened as she raised her hands and took a step towards him, eyes only on Ikki and Meelo. "You!"

"What's wrong, Korra? He says Tai is his little brother!" Ikki giggled as she flicked the handles on Tarrin's back, each one giving a dull metallic ring.

Her eyes narrowed, the drive to get them away from him and out of harm's way filled her. She took another step forwards, for a moment not thinking with her own thoughts, but_Aang's _instead. He wanted his grandchildren away from him. "He's-"

The Equalist who nearly killed her, who nearly killed his own _brother_, was completely helpless under the little airbender's assault. "Would you... quit that?" Tarrin winced and stumbled forwards, to Meelo's laughter. "Tai, I need to speak to you-"

"You tried to-" She shook with rage, chest heaving as she stepped forwards again and flexed her fingers, feeling the call of the earth beneath her and letting sparks light between her fingers. But she couldn't do anything, not with the children in the way-

"Why did you come here, young man?" Zuko asked quietly.

Tarrin's eyes widened as he recognized the scar on Zuko, remembering the same golden eyes from the rainy encounter in the alleyway. Ikki's laughter pulled him out of the memory before he could recall the darkest parts. The ones he wanted to put behind him. "I...I came here to speak to my little brother."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "You weren't doing much talking the last time you saw him as I recall."

"Yes, but I-" Ikki's finger poking the side of his head interrupted him, and he glanced over at her with a exasperated look.

"What's that mean?"

"Noth- its nothing, little girl." Tarrin murmured, looking straight at Korra. "I know we had differences but things have changed, I need to talk to Tai-"

"Why? So you can finish the job?" Korra accused, casting a look at Tai and thoughts going somewhere else entirely for a few seconds. She blinked in a effort to get rid of them, but they lingered. Too recent to be buried so easily.

"Master." Tai looked at Zuko. "I won't be long." he nodded at Tarrin.

"Alright. I think the lesson has been concluded." Zuko said, keeping a eye on Tarrin. He looked at the boy. "I'll leave you here to... talk." Zuko didn't say that he would be keeping close by, to observe. And to act if necessary.

The old man moved towards the steps, hands clasped behind his back.

"Ikki. Meelo. Can you go play somewhere else?" Tai asked quietly, looking at the ground.

"Aww, but-"

"Come on you two." Jinora sat up from the stone steps and jogged towards the two of them, prying Ikki from Tarrin's shoulders and dragging Meelo away by the hem of his mantle.

"Thank you." Tarrin sighed with relief, rubbing the spots in his short brown hair Ikki had abused. "Can we talk somewhere a little less open?" He looked around for a second, then nodded at a tree with white leaves standing on a part of the cliff higher than the rest.

The boy answered his big brother with a simple nod, watching as Tarrin returned it and headed up the nearby steps in the direction of the tree. Slowly, his gaze leveled on Korra. Her shoulders slumped as she folded her arms, eyes narrowed and looking downwards.

He hesitated, wondering if he should do something or- he shook the distracting thoughts away. "Hey. You okay?"

Those blue eyes fixated on him for a second or so, then just as quickly left him and went back to somewhere else.

"Korra?"

She shirked away from him. "Go. Talk with him. He's family, right?"

His shoulders slumped. "Yeah. Guess he is."

* * *

Tai hesitated, before nodding to himself and cresting the grassy hill. He moved under the cover of a roof of pale white leaves, their edges rounded and curled in slightly. As the wind moved through the edges it became trapped in the tiny ring of space underneath the curled over edge and the willowy surface of the leaf, creating a slight humming sound both eerie and slightly calming.

He looked past the tree, seeing Tarrin standing on the other side of it, his hood down but sabers still on his back.

Looking at those sabers gave him a small amount of discomfort as old and what he hoped had been forgotten memories welled up. He dispelled them by taking a large breath and breathing out as he stopped in front of the tree, and sat down to lean against the dark brown trunk.

Tai folded his arms and waited for Tarrin to speak first.

"Those were Councilman Tenzin's children. Weren't they?" Tarrin glanced back at him.

His eyebrows furrowed and he nodded. "Yeah."

"This is home for you now?"

He hesitated for a moment, so very unsure. "Guess so." Tai shrugged.

"Good. They seem like good people."

Up in the tree, Lemurs overtook the conversation with their chittering for a few moments.

"Why are you asking me this stuff, bro?"

"I-" Kao's words to him took his thoughts. _Your brother will be safe._ "I just want to be sure you are protected. That is all."

"Ever since the revolution ended... I was trying to find you." Tai said. "Wanted us to stick together. Have some semblance of a family again. With dad gone... and mom...elsewhere... I-"

His older brother's chuckling answered him. And surprised him. "Tai. I think you've already found that here." Tarrin turned around, a smile putting a slight stretch on the scar running from his jawline to the corner of his temple. "You don't exactly need me anymore."

Tai's breath caught in his throat. He looked down and picked at the grass between his legs. "I don't know about that." he murmured.

"They're better family to you than I've ever been, little brother." Tarrin smiled at him. "So... the Avatar..."

His brother's tone, the way he smirked, how out of _place_ it looked on him, made Tai trip over his own thoughts. "Wha- me and-? Yeah right." he sai quietly, knowing that he messed up any chances of that happening.

Once again his brother's chuckles answered him. "You're still so clueless about it, aren't you?"

"You done torturing me?"

"Quite." Tarrin squared his shoulders and looked over his shoulder, at the sun as it started its afternoon descent. "I should probably be going now." he said, all smile on the outside but all business on the inside. Seeing the councilman's family and how they looked at his younger brother... his decision was made up.

Tai watched as he moved towards the crest of the hill, slipping away from the tree. "Hey. Where are you going?"

"I need to check up on Yem. That's all."

And just with that explanation and a wave of his hand over his shoulder, Tarrin slipped down the hill, leaving him sitting against the tree with more questions then answers.

He sighed in frustration and tipped his head back against the tree, glad that he had some time to himself. Finally-

Something brushed against the other side of the tree, rubbing against the bark as it slid down towards the ground. He arched a eyebrow and peered around the side of the tree, not able to see much else but the trunk until he leaned out farther, spotting Korra's bare shoulder as she sat against the tree, having made almost no sound at all approaching the tree.

"Can I sit here?" Her quiet voice asked from around the other side.

"Sure. Knock yourself out." He said dismissively, hoping she got the tone.

The wind picked up sharply and blew through the tree's leaves, making them hum and shift about in dizzying patterns above his head. He found himself distracted by the sight for a while, but soon enough his gaze started shifting, and he found himself staring at the lovely shade of brown that was Korra's shoulder.

He shook himself and scowled, turning his gaze firmly towards the grass. "I have to ask you something."

"What?" she asked.

Tai stopped himself, definitely certain he didn't want to dig this up. But he would never get over it if he didn't do something now. He had to be direct. "Did you do it because you were actually interested in me, or because you needed something to cheer yourself up?"

"I... don't know." Korra eventually answered back with a tight whisper, barely audible if he hadn't been listening carefully. He nodded, realizing that was the closest he getting to a straight answer from her. "...I just wanted something to go right for once." His eyes widened and his expression softened.

"Copycat." he shook his head with a small smirk.

That got a little laugh out of her. But not much. "Guilty." Korra answered. She sighed, still going through the events at City Hall, Bolin getting hurt... Mako breaking up with her.

"You know what?" Tai stood up and walked around the side of the tree, hands in his pockets and a smile directed at her. "There's way too much doom and gloom around right now. How about a couple hours on the town? Just as friends?"

Korra stared at him for a few seconds, unable to express herself for a few seconds. A smile dawned on her. "I'd like that."

* * *

土


	29. The Promise, and the Threat

土

* * *

_Dragon Flats District, Hu Apartments._

Tarrin stopped in front of the simply made brown door, the old floorboards underneath him finally stopped squeaking. He put his ear to the door, listening for the sound of anyone moving inside.

He lingered, unsure it was her or possibly...

No. Just in case it was the Dai Li, he reached a hand to the closest saber, wrapping his fingers around the handle and getting ready for anything that was on the other side of the door. The thought that the Director had sent his men anyway had constantly plagued his thoughts on the way back here, and even while on Air Temple Island.

He shouldn't have gone there first. He should have come straight back, to make sure that she was safe before he agreed to any- Again, Tarrin closed his eyes and focused on what Amon- Noatok, taught him. Patience and control. The instant that went away you couldn't be certain of anything.

It paid off as he calmed down, enough to clearly hear something being knocked over onto the cheap wooden flooring of the apartment inside. Keeping alert he closed a hand around the door handle and slowly pulled it down to mask the noises it would try to make. Feeling the door being released from the frame he pressed a hand against its surface and pushed so that it swung inwards with the barest squeak.

"Yem?" Caution followed his steps as he moved in, taking in the spartan furniture and openness of the room. His eyes immediately focused on the glint of light on the edge of Yem's tanto, slashing towards him from the side hidden by the immediate wall.

Just as it was about to tear through his hood it halted, shakily hovering inches from his left cheek. He breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped in further, seeing her on-edge expression and her completely bandaged arm holding the tanto. "It's me, Yem."

Her breathing was heavy as she stared at him for a few seconds, then at the small square blade she clutched onto with whitened knuckles. A twinge in her shoulder forced her to drop her arm down. "Right." She stood straight and nodded at him, brushing a loose lock of black hair out of her eye while sliding the tanto back into the sheath sitting over her hips.

"Has anyone else-" Yem breathed a sigh of relief as she moved forward and hugged him with her good arm, eyes closed.

"No." She muttered into his collar, the word muffled. "Just me." Yem punched his chest. "I haven't seen you since forever! I've been worried sick!"

She stepped back after a few seconds, bracing the back of the cheap wooden couch nearby. He flipped down his hood with a worried expression. "I know. Any better?"

"Every second." Yem muttered, biting down a little every time she experimentally rolled her shoulder. "I just need time to recover." she shifted upwards on the table, sitting on it instead of just leaning against it. "Heard something about your brother on the radio. Can't believe it."

Tarrin narrowed his eyes. "The Earth Kingdom Secretary claimed that he watched Tai put a sword through Councilman Tenzin. I paid him a visit."

"What? You know who he is-"

"Yem." Him saying her name stopped her immediately. She closed her eyes and shook her head before looking at him, seeing a strange almost... _regretful_ look on his scarred features. "I struck a deal with him."

"A deal?"

"Yes. He said that if I deliver Avatar Korra to him, in exchange he'll clear Tai's name and release Councilman Shizu."

"Wait, the old man.. he was last seen at City Hall during the-"

"Yeah. Looks like the Earth King's Secretary _wasn't _kidding. He must have taken Shizu when Telei was distracted." Tarrin guessed, not liking where all this was headed.

Yem nodded, not realizing that she was tapping her fingers on the table. "You said yes, didn't you?"

Not even hesitating for a second he answered, a smirk on him. "If he thinks I'm going to do his dirty work for him, then he's soft in the head." he shook his head. "No. I can take him and his men by surprise and rescue the Councilman. Simple."

"What! You can't. Tarrin, you can't go _alone_." She shook her head and grabbed his hand. "You need backup."

"What I need is to protect you and my little brother." Tarrin answered calmly and resolutely, feeling nothing but certainty this is what he had to do. "He has a family know. Doesn't need me around." he finished with a murmur.

"Tarrin-" he smirked and leaned forwards, locking lips with hers and his hand gently touching her hip. Despite his best intentions he began caressing her hip, looking straight at her.

She couldn't wait anymore.

* * *

Tarrin sighed and sat up, a sad look in his eyes. He glanced over at her, before reaching over and brushing a few tangled strands of black hair out of her face. He managed to steady himself and got up, eyes already searching for his sheaths and coat.

He soon found it and a twisted shirt on a nearby table. Tarrin pulled it over his head and shrugged on his coat, before moving over to the nearby couch and picking up both of his sheaths, staring down at them and wondering if he really should-

"You're still thinking about doing it. Should have guessed." He glanced over his shoulder at her, unable to help himself from staring at the clean white bandages hiding covering her shoulder.

Tarrin couldn't lie to her. He nodded, his thoughts turning to that of his little brother and his new family. He heard movement behind him as she sat up and clambered off the bed, gently touching his back.

Once again he couldn't help himself from turning around and looking at her, at the vulnerable expression and her wet eyes. Tarrin wrapped her in a hug. "I'll be back before you know it." he whispered in her ear, warm breath tickling her lobe. Slowly but surely he took a step back from her and the little table, floorboards squeaking as he moved towards the door, not even lingering at the threshold as he left with sureness.

Once she could no longer hear his footsteps going away from her she heaved a gasp and shook her head, holding a hand over her eyes and shaking her head. The _idiot_. She found panic overtaking her as the worst thoughts clawed at her. "Its not that _simple_, you'll-"

Yem regained control of herself and took a deep breath. She needed to tell _her_ about this as soon as possible.

* * *

_Avatar Road, Republic City._

She ran a hand along Naga's flank, rubbing and scratching her fur while whistling a tuneless tune. Naga made a approving noise as she scratched a certain spot just behind the Polar-Bear Dog's right shoulderblade. A small smile dawned on her, glad to be doing something so simple for once.

"You know, there's something I don't understand..." Tai said, currently separated from her view by the most good-natured mountainous mass of sharp teeth, heavy claws there was.

Korra rolled her eyes, her gaze briefly flicking upward to bask in the warm orange swirls covering the sky before answering him. "Hmm?"

"Of all the choice locales this bustling metropolis has to offer, of all the places with the best views, the funnest things to do... Why did you pick the street that has _your name_ _on it_?" he directed a complete look of utter seriousness at her over Naga's neck, not realizing until it was too late that his hand was in striking distance of Kaze's paw. The spirit wolf barked from his position on top of Naga's saddle, batting his masters hand with wild abandon until the boy grunted and pulled out of his reach.

She chuckled at the sight before a easy and very well-placed smirk came to be on her. "Well, being the _Avatar, _I felt that it was only fitting to find a place with my name on it."

"Funny." Tai shook his head, knowing she was just egging him on like usual. As they continued walking down the footpath, the large throngs of people around them making space for the large Polar-Bear Dog plodding along, he found himself wondering why so many people were out and about. Everything looked so... normal.

A loud rumble, like the warning bellow of a boarcupine shook his thoughts apart and sent them scattering to the corners of his mind. He realised that the sound originated from Korra. And for a second _thought he knew how earthquakes began_.

"Man... I'm kinda starving." Korra chuckled, embarassed as she scratched the back of her neck. Naga glanced at her with a tilted head and a curious whine.

"What was _that?_" He said, his mouth agape for a few seconds before he held a hand up to his mouth to stop her from hearing his snickering.

"Wh- hey! Don't laugh!"

"Korra, you managed to scare _Naga _with that- that... that _roar!_" His shoulder shook with the effort to stop from laughing _too _much, laying a hand on Naga's side to steady himself a bit. As he calmed down he noticed a few strange looks coming from the crowd around them, all of them directed at him with accusatory tones. He dismissed them and focused on Korra. "Now that you said it so _clearly_ before, I'm a little hungry as well. I'm paying. Where do you want to-"

It was only just know that he clearly heard and saw Naga's huge black nose sniffing, the Polar Bear Dog lifting her head up to get a better sense of where the smell came from. After a few seconds she barked and turned sharply, nearly knocking Tai over as she lumbered onto the street, her noise pointed straight at a crimson colored stall set up on the other side of the street.

Tai rubbed the top of his head as he got to his feet with a groan. "Guess the decisions been made for us."

She stood there, hands on her hips with a smirk and a smug look in her eyes. "Race you across!" Her shoulder crashed into him as she ran past, spinning him about and making him stumble near the edge of the footpath for a few moments shaking the stars away.

"Could have framed it as a question at least." he muttered, before giving chase after her, trying and failing to get any of his bearings as his head continued to spin.

Incredibly enough he made it across the two-lane street unscathed, and came to a stop beside Naga and Kaze poking their heads underneath the back flap of the crimson colored stall. Naga stuck her head down too low, resulting in a yelp from Kaze as he slipped off her face and nose and tumbled through the flap.

Immediately afterwards he ran back out, hiding underneath Naga's bulk from the vicious swinging of a black fry pan being held by the snarling visage of a old woman.

Naga moaned and backed away a few steps, careful not to trample or step on Kaze as he huddled behind her rear leg. He moved out of the way, sitting by the Polar-Bear Dog's flank as she sat on her haunches and waited, knowing what happened last time.

The smell reached Korra first. It carried a thick smoky sensation up her nostrils, not enough to be unpleasant, and had a definite hint of spice to it. She almost licked her lips just hearing spit coming from the meat as it sizzled at a slow cook, rotating endlessly in a hypnotic rhythm that called her hunger to it.

Korra stopped in front of the stall's counter, and cleared her throat to get the large old woman's attention. "Excuse me, can I-"

"You!" The old woman spat out, stabbing a sausage-finger at her. "Your dog nearly ate all of my product LAST TIME!" she nearly bellowed. "AND NOW THERE'S TWO OF THEM!" She_actually _bellowed.

Korra held up a finger while scratching the back of her head again, unable to listen to anything but the sounds of her own growling stomach. "If I could just buy-"

"With what?" The old lady simmered down surprisingly quickly, folding her arms and regarding the Avatar with a potent stare. "The yuans you had last time?"

"I-" Korra faltered, realizing she didn't have any money on here. She cleared her throat and held up her hands in apology, stepping back next to Tai. She didn't even think for a moment about getting any money, she just-

"Here. twenty bronze in the bag, old lady. Give us everything."

She blinked twice, tracking a little brown pouch sailing through the air and landing with a thud on the stall owner's wooden counter. Tai folded his arms and waited patiently for the old lady as she swiped the bag with a meaty hand, looking at him suspiciously. "I remember you too, boy." her gaze swung to Korra. "The Avatar's lucky you're actually _paying_ this time."

The old woman grumbled as she turned away from the two of them, expertly unfolding a brown bag and grabbing a bunch of kebabs in one swipe and placing them in the bag with surprising gentleness.

Soon she was done, thrusting the bag into Tai's hands along with the empty pouch. "There." She stated gruffly, pointing out into the street with a clear want for them to leave.

"Well.." Tai glanced at Korra with a confused expression as he led the way down the footpath, stopping a distance away from the stall to wait for Korra to bring Naga and Kaze over. "I'll say it again: she is a mean old witch."

Korra shook her head with a little smirk as she reached him. She jerked her chin towards the footpath ahead, away from the old vendor lady. "Come on." This time she led the way while keeping close to Naga, making sure she didn't decide to go leaping out onto the road.

Tai walked on Naga's opposite side, keeping the bag of meat-sticks, curls of delicious steam wafting into his nostrils and leaving a tempting savoury sensation, in his arms.

It was then that he felt a bump against the back of his knee, and at the same time Naga got a strange look in her eye. Looking back he just caught the tip of Kaze's tail swishing left and right, just as Naga grunted and tore the bag from his arms. He yelped and let go, not wanting to have his hands torn off by a furry monster the size of a large model satomobile and weighing about the same.

The bag covered Naga's nose and the Polar-Bear Dog lifted her head upwards so that it wouldn't fall off. Naga and Kaze both took off again, bounding across the clear street and into a side-alley where a large expanse of trees could be seen at the far end.

Tai blinked twice as he tried, _failed_, to grasp what just happened. His fingers closed and opened at thin air for a few moments as Korra groaned. "Guess they're hungrier then we are." he said in a small voice.

Korra nodded wordlessly and grimaced as her stomach rumbled again, she looked across the street at the alley they ran into, noticing that there was a park on the other side. "Even so... there's a place not too far from here we can grab a bite from."

* * *

_Shōu K__ǒ__u General Hospital, Room 36._

No matter what, every time she had stood in front of this door, no different from the twenty others lining the walls of the ward's hallway, she always hesitated to bring her hand up to the handle, to get a grasp on it and enter into the room.

The thought of seeing her childhood friend... and for a long time the love of her life... and for a equally long time after that a _cold acquaintance_... She had shared most of her life with him, told him some of her deepest fears. And the thought of seeing him lying so still in that hospital bed always barred her first attempt to go into the room.  
But like every other time in the past week, she somehow managed to find that iron core of hers and hold onto it with a firm grasp, giving her the renowned Beifong stubborness to bullrush past her doubts and fears and just... open the door.

Lin made as little sound as possible when she opened the door, making sure her game face was well and truly on in front of the sole visitor sitting by Tenzin's bedside. Already she noticed the absence of Jinora and her siblings, with only Rohan present, held in Pema's arms.

"Where are the kids?" she quietly asked, just loud enough for Pema to notice her presence. She tightened the waistband on her dark trenchcoat and moved across the room, standing at the foot of the bed. Not once did she tear her gaze away from Tenzin's peaceful features.

Pema barely glanced up at her. "Where they should be. Tenzin wouldn't want me forcing them to stay here by his side every day. He wouldn't want them to sit still just for his sake."

She nodded. "How is he doing?"

The younger woman answered by closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Kya, she-" Pema gritted her teeth and didn't speak for a few moments, before holding her chin up and opening her eyes again. "Kya said this is the stage where all I- all _we_ can do, is wait."

Lin lifted her gaze from Tenzin to the wall above him, recalling a old memory where her and Tenzin's positions were reversed, with him saying those words and her lying in the bed because of a bloodbending madman. "He said the same thing to me during a similar sitation, you know." she murmured, prompting Pema to look at her. She kept going. "I was working on a case against the Red Monsoons, back when they were hardly anything more than thugs with fur coats and he and I..."

Her eyes softened as Pema grimaced."What happened?"

"I got bloodbent. Just like my mother did at the hands of Yakone." Lin said. "He got me out of there. And hardly left the room I recovered in. I called him a idiot the instant I woke up." She shook her head, knowing there were a lot of times she could have shown him the same dedication. "He's stuck by me and refused to let me quite so many times I can't count them." Lin hung her head, dropping her gaze away from the man in the bed. "I owe him so much. And I've given him so little."

Her gloved hands tightened around the guardrail at the foot of the bed while her gaze darkened. The metal protested and squealed underneath her grip, making her stop with a start and stare down at the tops of her hands.

"Lin. You've given him everything already." Pema said quietly, prompting her to look up.

"How-"

"By protecting our _family_. Meelo keeps calling you a hero every time you're mentioned." Pema said, looking down at Rohan with a little smile. "I'm pretty sure that Jinora wants to write a book with you as the main character. And Ikki... she wants to be like you when she grows up." Pema looked up at her and smiled. "You've done enough."

Lin could do nothing but nod.

* * *

_Central Park, Republic City._

Tai sighed and picked at a blade of grass just in front of his boot. Kaze barked, keeping his head just above the water level as his paws splashed about in the water, paddling in a endless circle and looking entirely happy.

Near him the water rumbled and shook as Naga's head broke the surface with a roar like a mighty sea leviathan. She rolled over onto her back, floating aimlessly across a section of the pond.

He pouted. "Look at the two of them. Look at how satisfied they are. I _actually paid for those._"

"Would you quit complaining already? They're nearly done." Korra rolled her eyes as she jabbed towards a fish speared on a stick planted in the ground. A small gout of flame puffed from her extended index and middle fingers, briefly enveloping it and cooking the meat. She repeated the motion with the second fish next to the first, then moved on to the third and fourth in quick practiced succession.

"Smells driving me crazy..." Tai muttered, stretching out on the embankment and putting his arms behind his head, settling in to look at the clashing streaks of warm orange and pale yellow painting the clouds overhead in dizzying patterns. There was always something strange about the sky after a large storm had passed... he had seen it countless times as a kid living on the farm.

He looked over at Korra, noticing that as she applied hefty amounts of fire to the already crispy fish she had a..._primal_... look in her eyes and a wide toothy grin on her. It looked a little creepy, actually. But he kept that to himself.

"There. All done." Korra beamed at him, licking her lips as she extinguished her flames and grabbed the four fishes. She stood up and moved to where he was sprawled out, sitting down next to him and holding out two of the fish-on-a-sticks. "My own special recipe. Flame-grilled fishsticks!"

Gingerly and a little warily he took the two 'fish-sticks' from her, transferring one to his other hand as he sat up. He turned the other over, almost ready just to tear into the tender and succulent meat right there and then, his stomach quickly overriding any suspicions about Korra's skill at burning things.

He tore in just as she had devoured her first one, quickly laying into the second with wild abandon. Tai worked the chewy meat around to tender it up before swallowing, and finishing the fish entirely with a few more bites.

Tai wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve before starting on the next fish, this time taking it a little more slowly to savour the smoky flavor before it was gone entirely.

A contented sigh floated out of him as he patted his stomach and laid back on the grass again, just as a loud roiling noise erupted from Korra. "Nice one."

"Oops. Sorry." Korra wiped her hands on her sealskin waistwrap, and brought her hand up to wipe her mouth and a few drops of glistening oil from her chin. Rubbing her hands together to clean them somewhat, she laid back as well, extending her arms well above her head and clasping her hands together before stretching with a drawn out groan. "How were they?" she asked, resting her head against the grass and looking sidelong at him.

"Good... they were good."

She nodded, soon falling quiet and shifting her gaze to the furious streaks of orange and yellow painting the sky above. After a while of just lying there staring upwards she turned to look at him again, curiosity fueling her. "Hey... back at the old woman's stall, she said something about you 'paying this time'. What did she mean?"

Tai didn't answer immediately, shifting uncomfortably and making sure he continued to stare upwards rather than look at her. "I...I needed something to eat, to steady my nerves I guess before I went to Amon's warehouse."

"You stole?"

His gaze flitted down from the sky and settled on his own rising and falling chest. "Yeah... obviously it was something my parents never wanted me to stoop to." he finished, his voice small and strained. "Didn't have much after what happened to my home."

Korra answered with a small nod, once again put in the uncomfortable position of being unable to understand what that must have been like. "You don't talk much about what happened."

"Because there's nothing worth bringing up." He said, hardly above a whisper as he struggled with his own thoughts and memories.

His thoughts threatened to drag him inwards with every passing moment, only to be dashed by the appearance of a bright orange ball of light whizzing towards him from across the pond, coloring the water underneath it with ruddy tones.

Both Naga and Kaze barked at the little ball of light as it crossed the embankment. The closer it got the easier he could discern its furiously beating wings, glowing a complete and furious orange, the same as the back half of its body did as well. The little insect landed on a knuckle on his right hand and in wonder he brought it up for closer examination.

A foggy memory of his father came to mind, and despite the internal struggle he went through a small smile dawned on his lips. "Huh." he expressed in wonder, watching as it crawled up and down the length of his finger before returning to where it first landed and shaking its glowing wings.

"What is it?" Korra asked, getting to her knees and coming over. Her blue eyes completely fixed on the little insect. "Some kind of bug?"

"These little guys were all over the place where I lived. My dad called them Fireflies. Said that they're attracted to firebenders and the warmth they create."

"Looks like they have a little fire themselves." Korra pointed out, a giddy smile on her just watching the Firefly move about on his finger.

"He told me its because they can firebend themselves. Probably just trying to trick me though. Its actually something to do with their bodies. They just... light up."

She nodded, holding her hand next to Tai's and extending a finger for the Firefly to hop onto. "Whatever the case, they're beautiful." Korra whispered in complete amazement.

Tai nodded as he craned his neck, peering across the lake and spotting glowing spots coming from the trees and bushes on the opposite bank. He glanced at Korra and grinned, getting to his feet and cracking his fingers. "I'm gonna try something."

"Like what?" she said, bringing her free hand closer to the Firefly sitting inside her palm and lighting a tiny flame over her pinky. The Firefly buzzed and immediately took flight, hovering over the top of the flame and flitting around it in a enchanting display.

A voice, a _old_ voice, intruded in her thoughts with a strong presence. _The people of the Fire Nation call them liú yíng, and believe them to be Agni's helpers from the Spirit World._

The voice was gone. Korra blinked twice, unused to hearing Roku in her head as opposed to Aang or Kyoshi. She shook her head and looked at Tai, watching as he stood on the bank looking out over the water.

She watched as he opened his palm, letting a compact ball of fire float for a second before aiming his other hand at it and making small wavy movements. The flames briefly tilted from being gently blown by the wind pushing it out over the lake. She heard a grunt as he stopped in place once it was out far enough.

For a few moments nothing happened and the crickets in the rushes and birds in the trees made their noises. But then... her eyes widened and she drew a sharp breath in awe as the softly glowing parts of the forest on the other side suddenly came alight with life and light, and in the hundreds small balls of furious orange light flew out over the lake, attracted to the single blazing fireball hanging in the air.

Korra didn't see the amused smile on Tai as he moved his hand, manipulating the fireball with his airbending and making it whizz back and forth through the air, up and down, giving the Fireflys a bit of trouble in trying to get close to it. They unknowingly formed into a twisting stream of brightly glowing dots while tracking the fireball, their collective buzzing loud enough for her to hear them from the bank.

He continued to move the fireball all over the place, giving the Fireflys a challenge in trying to reach the coveted heat source as they gave chase. The dizzying display of lights held her complete attention, for once pushing out all of her other thoughts, her fears, her doubts... leaving in their place a simple feeling of wonder.

She heard a small laugh from Tai as he finally stopped moving the fireball around, letting the fireflys completely swarm it in a growing collection of orange lights. He sighed as he let the ball extinguish itself and break down into wisps of flame, hanging in the air and confusing the Fireflys for a second before disappearing entirely.

The Fireflys only stayed like that for a moment before realizing that the heat source was gone, and quickly fled back to their respective hiding places in the opposite bank's treeline.

"Quite a lightshow, huh?" Korra nodded, unable to form any words for the moment. He smirked at her face and sat down on the grass again, drawing his knees up close and clasping his hands over them. With a heavy exhale he watched as the water returned to a calm color once more. "My dad taught me that one." he said quietly, a soft look in his eyes.

"He sounds like a good guy." Korra sat down right next to him. She looked down at her boots for a few seconds.

"He was awesome." Tai looked down as well, and sighed. A short chuckle came out of him as he held a wry grin. "I always looked like a chump next to him whenever I tried firebending."

Korra smiled and giggle as she thrusted a thumb at her chest. "Hey now, you look like a chump whenever you firebend next to _me_ as well."

That made him burst out in laughter. He held his sides to stop them from shaking as he nodded. "You'd probably make him proud with how you show me up, actually."

"You saw me flailing trying to catch the fish with waterbending before. My dad is a _pro_ at showing me how its done."

"Well now, I never expected the Avatar to 'fess up to not being good at something. Quite a surprise." he smirked, then yelped as she punched him in the shoulder. "Alright, _two thing's _you're better at then me."

She shook her head in amusement, looking out at the water with a smile. "Thanks for doing this. I really needed it." Her features softened as she looked sidelong at him, taking a chance and closing her hand around his with a gentle squeeze.

"Its uh- its nothing. Really. Yeah." Tai's cheeks looked like they had been set on fire. He rubbed the back of his head. "I think Pema's probably wondering where we are-"

"Excuse me.. you're the Avatar, right?" Korra almost gasped as she quickly let go of his hand in complete surprise. He and Korra turned around, seeing a young woman and a older woman standing there. Two kids hiding behind them. The woman held a baby in her arms.

The older woman laid a hand on her shoulder and stepped forward. "I don't know if you remember me from the non-bender protest against Tarrlok's stupid laws last year... but we were walking by and... my daughter wants to ask you something. She's a huge fan of you."

Korra briefly threw a confused look at Tai before standing up and clearing her throat. Korra could recognize her face anywhere. She was the one in the crowd who spoke out the loudest against Tarrlok's methods, and got through to Korra about her role as the Avatar."Um... sure. What do you want to ask?"

"Well... my son and daughter saw you and your Polar-Bear Dog earlier and..." The young woman nearly closed up completely for a moment before her courage shone through. "I was hoping you would let them have a ride on her back? Sounds silly but-"

Korra stopped her with a simple smile. "Sure. Its no problem." The young woman's brown-skinned features lit up with a big grin at the same time as her children's did. "Naga. Come!" The Polar-Bear Dog's head poked up from where she was laying on the bank with a huge yawn. She got to her feet and padded over. Her head tilted.

Tai grinned as he stretched along the grass again. "How long you gonna be? Its starting to get dark."

"Won't be too long!" She called to him as she lead Naga over to the family. The two children stared up in awe at Naga, and they both giggled as Korra earthbent the ground they stood on, lifting them up on a column that allowed them to hop onto Naga's saddle.

The older woman bowed to Korra with a appreciative smile. "Thank you, young lady."

Korra beamed at her as she began to lead Naga across one of the bridges leading to the rest of the parklands. "Its nothing, ma'am. She needs some exercise anyway."

"Are you certain, it looked like we were interrupting something-"

"Wha- of course not! I've got time for everyone!" She glanced back at the bank where Tai was. "I'll be back in a few minutes!"

He grinned again. "I'll probably be asleep by then!" he called back, seeing the back of her hand wave at him before she disappeared over the bridge with the family following her.

The boy breathed in deeply as he shifted a little, expelling it as he got comfortable enough and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and heard growling coming from Kaze.

He turned around, getting to his feet and thoughts slowing to a crawl at the sight of the grey-eyed man standing there with a sword in his hand.

Telei leveled him with a look someone gives to a insect and lifted his sword, pointing it at the bridge Korra and the family had headed over not a few minutes ago. "She's quite something isn't she? A true example of what a Avatar should be." He tilted his head and looked at the Spirit Wolf. "I see your pet has a liking for me, student."

"You left him out in a blizzard."

"... I knew I recognized it from somewhere. It's grown."

"You looking for a fight?" Tai murmured, slowly opening his hand and readying himself.

"Just here to observe the young Avatar. That's all."

"If you try anything..." Tai growled, ignoring the chills going up his spine just from the old man being present.

"There is not much you can do. You've always been unable to stand up to me, student. Your lessons made that painfully obvious. If I did decide on a course of action involving her... you will not be able to stop me. Unless..."

Tai's blood froze.

"Remember my lessons on the Air Nomads and their culture, student? The tiān shàng plateau. Only a couple hundred miles northwest. A good place for the Avatar to... _learn_... of her purpose in the world."

"The heavenly plateau..."

"I see you still do not use the proper names of these places. Always a shame." Telei's eyes turned cold. "She will be there."

And with that he turned around and started walking up the bank, until the long shadows cast by the trees swallowed him up. He could have sworn that everything went lighter as soon as he lost sight of his old master. He stood frozen to the spot, Kaze's growls reflecting his own thoughts.

"Tai? Hey, I'm back! Let's get going, its pretty dark out here!" Tai's eyes widened as Korra rode Naga across the bridge, leading her down the bank towards him. "Whats wrong? You look a little spooked."

* * *

_Dragon Flats District, Canal-8._

With a old sports bag slung over his shoulder he spied a lever nearby.

The sound of him pulling down on the heavy lever carried down the dark yawning staircase as a meaty thunk. Each time the current ran down the thick cabling bolted to the walls and connected to a knobby conductor fixed in place, a audible click was heard.

Tarrin grimaced at how old the wiring down here was. He took each step carefully as he heard each successive click running down the wiring, going slowly until suddenly a old light winked on overhead and illuminated the entire narrow space, including the sheer brick wall at the bottom.

He reached the dead end and waited before the brick wall. Tarrin stomped his foot down twice on the old floorboards.

The brick wall in front of him shuddered and grinded as it swung open before him, revealing a large and cluttered room within completely made of cement. Purified to the best possible degree so any earthbenders looking for it would inevitably fail.

His boots sent slight echoes bouncing off the sheer grey walls and inbetween the racks and shelves clinging to the walls of the room. He stopped and looked over the nearest shelf, seeing row upon row of discharger gloves marked with the blood red circle of the Equalists, next to them silver smoke canisters glistening in the light. Above them were poles stretching from either side of the rack, at least twenty bola pairs slung over it.

These kind of shelves lined the room, offering enough arms and equipment for hundreds of non-benders. _Meant_ for hundreds of non-benders. This cache was among the last still undiscovered by the triads, Telei, or the metalbending police. He narrowed his eyes when he spotted a completely empty shelf in the midst of it all. But didn't dwell on it.

He nodded to himself, knowing exactly how much gear he was going to need. Taking the sports bag off his shoulder he placed it on the clear table in the center of the room, zipping it open to reveal a pair of brass rectangles that were definitely sharped then they looked. Once again he really appreciated the technology and craftsmanship Hiroshi packed into his twin sabers.

Moving away from the table, he went to the nearest shelf, grabbing a cluster of smoke canisters strung together with metal wiring. He also took few wound-up bolas from the hanger pole, carrying them over to the table and dropping them in a pile before moving back to the shelf.

He grabbed one of the discharger gloves, slipping it on and flexing his palm to activate the pressure sensor that in turn charged up the core. The green core hummed softly and glowed. He nodded and took it off, placing it next to the sports bag.

Scanning the room, he spotted a row of lockers at the other end next to a thick metal door. He moved towards them, opening the one on the far end and poking through the Chi Blocker uniforms kept inside. He didn't even bother grabbing the suit, instead going for one for a pair of green-lensed googles with brass casing on a top shelf. His hand went back up, grabbing the brass rebreather sitting next to it and closing the locker.

Coming back to the table, he crammed everything in as fast as possible.

Finished he zipped it up and grabbed the handles, grunting slightly as he lifted it off the table and moved towards the thick metal door. He grabbed the wheel on it with one hand and turned it clock-wise, releasing the lock with a mechanical click and letting the door swing outwards to reveal a sewer tunnel, which soon branched off left and right after a short distance.

He moved forwards, footsteps echoing off the curved walls as water drips punctuated each breath he took. Turning the corner he immediately spotted a speedboat the far end, quietly bobbing up and down before a huge grate barring access to the foggy nighttime harbor outside.

Stopping near the post the speedboat was tied to, he dropped the sports bag onto the storage compartment at the back of the boat, thankful that the black paint should at least keep his visibility down to any patrolling boats out in the harbor.

Tarrin was about to step down onto the boat's deck when he heard something scraping against a wall. He turned around, his eyes narrowing at the ponytailed youth leaning against the wall with his arms folded, his usually wide green eyes narrowed and his mouth drawn. "Its been a while, Tarrin."

"Ling. Why are you here?"

"You're planning to take on Director Kao and his men. He's got my uncle. Simple to work out." Ling answered, stepping off the wall and approaching him.

Tarrin narrowed his eyes as he spotted the pair of mini crossbows in a holster on each of Ling's hips, and spotted a thin quiver poking above his back. "I see you've already gone through the cache."

Ling nodded as he dragged his rock-glove from his pocket and slipped it on, flexing his fingers. "It never hurts to rely on something apart from bending."

Tarrin answered by moving towards the driving pedestal at the back of the speedboat, turning on the ignition. "Hop in."

* * *

土


	30. The Revelation, the Mistake

土

* * *

_Sato Estate Grounds, Republic City._

Asami stifled a yawn, a weary voice in the back of her head reminding her why being up this early was yet again a bad idea. She tuned it out and wiped her brow, grimacing when she realised she had just done so with a thick leather glove currently soaked in oil and grease. She shuffled around for a bit, finding it hard to get wriggle room underneath the heavy chassis of the contraption supported by a pair of heavy-duty treads either side of her.

With a grunt she managed to get free of the dark crevasse underneath the Mecha Tank, clambering to her feet and heaving a deep breath before heading towards the bright red workbench sitting In the corner of the workshop.

She swore under her breath as the toe of her boot caught against a steel rivet driven like a spike into the floor, just one of many forming a rectangular pattern around the center of the workshop. Asami knew what was under there, and knew she had made doubly sure that no-one could go down there ever again.

The girl shook her head with a sharp breath, running her fingers along her hair in order to scrape up any muck that seemed to always find a way to get on her whenever working underneath machinery like that.

A little smile touched her features at the memory of her mother chasing her around with a hairnet, spending the better part of a afternoon getting it on her after she discovered her trying dismantle the family satomobile's engine block with a wrench from her dad's workshop. She ended up leading her mother on a chase all over the grounds of the estate. At least as much of the estate that five-year old her knew at the time. Finally she had been cornered when she headed back to her dad's workshop. Although Asami had her victory, after a titanic struggle the hairnet had been torn to pieces.

Asami made it to the workbench, sending a few pistons rolling across the bench with the side of her hand as she examined the surface of the bench with great scrutiny, hoping she didn't misplace it again. Eventually, after hefting a catalytic converter aside she found what she was looking for.

She slid a finger of each hand under the ends of the worn looking strip of crimson cloth, lifting it up in the air with and looking it over with a wistful expression. Mom ruined her prized racing handkerchief to make this little strip of fabric. Whenever she needed to focus on a task, or think over a solution to a problem, her makeshift hair-tie always made a appearance.

Tilting her head to one side, she grabbed a nearby metal plate, which luckily still had a reflective surface, and brought it up in front of her face. Gathering her long hair she managed to wrangle it into position at the back of her head, a hand holding it tightly in place so it didn't decide to fall back down. Sticking her tongue out she wound her hair tie around the thick ponytail, easily managing to tie it off in a neat little bow.

She turned around once she had finished, rubbing her hands together and rolling her shoulders in anticapation of tackling the rest of the mecha tank's innards-

"Asami?" A muffled voice asked from outside the workshop, on the other side of the heavy doors.

"Iroh?" Asami called out, blinking twice as she reluctantly tore her gaze away from the mechanical wonder sitting there, waiting to be picked apart. She moved towards the thick handle on the edge of the door, using both hands to drag the heavy door towards her, opening it to the foggy morning weather gripping the city and revealing Iroh in his dress uniform as usual. The loose strand from before flicked down, making her flick it back up with a grunt. "Hey. What's up?"

"I know you're busy... but you need to read this." Iroh pulled out a cream-colored enveloped from his breast pocket, handing it to her front-side up.

She narrowed her eyes at the blood red wax seal, able to recognise the symbol for 'Equality' anywhere. "What the..." she murmured, breaking the seal and folding the envelope open and pulling out a folded up document. Her breath caught when she read the words on the document. "The _Equalists?_" she breathed, both disbelief and worry fighting to overwhelm her. She looked up from the unassuming letter at Iroh.

"You alright?" Iroh asked.

Her mind raced, Iroh's question only a echo as her eyes frantically scanned the printed words, all of them a blur except for one. _Hiroshi_. A old memory, a _buried_ memory came up. She needed to deal with this _now_. "I-I need to go. I'll be back, Iroh."

"Wait a minute- what's wrong?" Iroh took a step forward, reaching a hand out to her that she brushed away immediately. "Asami, I can handle this-"

She walked outside, coming to a stop near the start of the path down the hill with the letter scrunched up in her hand. Asami's eyes narrowed as she looked to her side, neither at him or at anything in particular. "I need to deal with this on my own, Iroh."

"Deal with what-" he suppressed a sigh when she started off at a jog down the hill, leaving him standing there in front of her father's workshop. With a frustrated grunt he turned and slammed the door shut. The sound of a motorcycle engine being revved up in the distance. His eyebrow arched as he looked towards the front of the estate over the top of the walls, catching the tail end of a motorcycle before it disappeared onto the busy main road overshadowed by the mansion.

"Hey, flameo!" He whipped around, seeing Verick running towards him from the path leading to the mansion proper. "Where's Asami going?" Verick called out, coming to a stop, leaning forwards to catch his breath.

"No idea. We need to follow her."

* * *

_Republic City Central Station_

"She's stopped."

Iroh nodded at the sound of Verick's confirmation, turning the key in the ignition and bringing the satomobile back to life. Grasping the wheel he guided it back onto the road, making sure to keep the needle below half speed to minimise any noise from the engine's work.

A large wall followed the road almost jealously, blocking any view of whatever was on the other side of its thick red bricks and mortar. In a matter of seconds that no longer mattered, and the wall suddenly curved away from the road, mirroring the flow of the wall further ahead along the road. They met in the middle, a large wrought iron gate bringing them together.

He brought the satomobile to a halt on the road leading to the gate, just behind a black motorcycle leaning against one of the lampposts flanking the gate. Iroh opened the door and got out, his eyes narrowed as he stroked his chin.

A second later Verick got out as well, a low whistle coming out of him as he looked at the huge wall. "That... was not there last time I checked."

"When was the last time _you_ caught the train?"

"...Good point."

Iroh led the way forward, heading towards the gate half that was slightly askew. "City Council commissioned a wall around the central terminal, to deter the Agni Kais and other Triads from launching any more attacks. Station's been closed since then."

Verick arched a eyebrow and folded his arms. "Ahh, wait, can't the Triads just use their _bending_-"

"Yes. They can." Iroh side-stepped through the gap in the gate's middle, facing the massive expanse of empty space in front of the main station terminal. He spotted Asami up ahead, crossing the space in between the outer edge of the square and the statue standing before the huge building like a guardian.

He bent down and ran as quickly as he could towards the nearby stone bench, pressing his back to it with a soft grunt just as Asami turned around. Her gaze lingered for a few seconds before she shivered and continued past the statue towards the main terminal steps, where a indistinct figure waited for her.

Biding his time before moving again, Verick joined him clutching onto what looked to be a whalebone boomerang. "Where did you grab that?" Iroh hissed, wondering what the inventor was up to.

"Gramps taught me to use this thing. Self defense and all _and_ a hit with the ladies." Verick replied back, before peering over the top of the bench. "Who's waiting for her?"

"Won't know that until we get closer. Come on. Follow my lead." Iroh grasped the top of the bench and vaulted over, glad his boots were of a soft leather as they made soft thuds against the pavement. Checking out his surroundings for a second, he crept across the large space between them and the statue, able to easily discern the red-scorched stone over his grandfather's left eye.

The wind howled across the eerily empty square, for a moment putting Iroh off and making him scan the surrounding area several times over as he crept across, certain that they were being... observed.

It came as a surprise to him when he and Verick got across with no trouble.

Iroh pressed his back to the statue's pedestal and sidled down the wall towards the corner. He peered around it, getting a clear view of the main terminal again and a brief glimpse of Asami's hair just before she disappeared inside.

He gritted his teeth in recognition of the man standing on the steps who had just ushered her in, recognizing the limp hair resembling a cat-fish's barbels on his upper lip and wiry physique despite the thick grey trenchcoat and bowler hat he wore. "Wasn't that guy Amon's _Lieutenant?_" Verick whispered.

The man looked around for a bit before heading in after Asami, only putting more questions in Iroh's thoughts. The young general narrowed his eyes. "Yeah."

"Hope Asami knows what she's- Iroh!" The sound of something whistling through the air caught his ear. Before he could react or even turn to see what it was something metallic slammed one wrist of his wrists into the other, keeping them together as a thin but strong wire wrapped around them, weighed down with a iron ball on each end.

The bolas robbed him of his firebending. He gritted his teeth, spotting a pair of dark clothed figures rushing towards him, spinning bolas above their heads while brandishing a brass escrima stick in the other.

A swore lifted from Verick as they crash tackled Iroh into the ground, getting a roar of pain from him as his shoulder took the brunt of the impact. He whipped his leg up at one of them, sweeping a wide flame that shot upwards but failed to connect. He went to lift his other leg and snap of a shorter burst when stars exploded in his vision and a pair of bolas wrapped themselves around his legs.

He bucked and kicked as the two of them turned on Verick, trying to think up a way to get it back in their favor when he spotted the dangerous look in Verick's normally relaxed eyes.

Flipping the boomerang up in the air end-over-end, he clocked the distracted chi-blocker to his right with a haymaker right between the lenses, getting a cry out of the man and dropping him to the ground, clutching his face in pain. He leaned back to avoid the sparking tip of the second's escrima stick, and snapped a fist into his exposed neck. The man coughed and spluttered as he stumbled backwards, just as Verick's boomerang came down.

Verick plucked it out of the air and lunged forward, positioning it behind the chi blocker's neck and grabbing onto both ends. He wrenched it towards him, pulling the chi blocker towards him as well, he swept the dazed man off his feet and onto his back. Verick leaned down and punched him once in the mask, knocking the chi blocker out with a sigh.

Stowing his boomerang within his coat, he rolled his shoulders and walked towards Iroh with a smirk. He extended his hand down to him. "May I?" Iroh answered with a grunt of annoyance, extending his hand for the inventor to grab onto. Lifting him to his feet Verick grinned, swiping dust from his shoulders.

Iroh folded his arms and ignored the cocky smile, instead staring down at the two Chi Blockers, noticing that one of them had a piece of folded paper sticking out of their breast pocket. Squatting down he slid it out and into his hand, unfolding it and being greeted with a indecipherable series of thin and bolded lines, which regularly crossed over each other in a crazy display. The only shape he could recognize was a filled in circle near the middle of the paper. He arched a eyebrow and looked over his shoulder towards a nearby sewer grate, the heavy iron lid bolted down with thick rivets. "Verick. Find a payphone. The police need to be here."

"And what about Asami?"

He nodded at the hole while glancing at Verick. "She's down there." his expression hardened when he looked down at the unconscious chi blockers. "Where they came from."

* * *

_Shōu K__ǒ__u General Hospital, Room 36._

The setting sun cast its dying rays over the city below it, the glass on the spires and buildings easily catching the deep orange light and reflecting it back out into the air, lending the buildings of the city a firey glow akin to that of the Fire Nation capital on a dark day.  
To him it looked like the setting sun was focusing all of its light into the room on the other side of the window. It came in from the glass sliding door leading to a balcony outside, the glass completely clear and letting it set the white walls, the white floors, _everything_ ablaze with orange and yellow warmth. To him it only made the man recovering in there all the more inaccessible.

He could just go in there. At any time he knew he could. It was a simple matter of moving his legs and arms, and opening the door and just stepping in. It was just a room, it shouldn't that difficult to think about it. Open door. Walk _in_.

And even after a week since Telei's break in at City Hall, he still couldn't believe he didn't have the guts to go in there. Still couldn't believe why Tenzin even shielded him in the first place. He had been nothing but trouble since that damn warehouse and-

"Hey. You've hardly moved."

For now, his thoughts cleared as he glanced over his shoulder and rubbed the back of his head in apology. "Oh, uh." He dropped his gaze to the floor with a sigh. "Yeah." looking at her only reminded him of Telei's taunting words.

Korra stopped next to him, her arms folded and head tilted as she gave him a concerned look. "He's gonna wake up any day now." she chuckled and elbowed him in the arm. "Chin up."

Tai tried. He really did. But no matter what he couldn't get his former master's words to stop repeating in his thoughts without end. He noticed the look on her and quickly put on a smile, uncertain if it was even remotely convincing. "Sorry. Got lost in myself again."

He heard her sigh and watched a smirk form. "So _vain_." She smiled to show she was joking, slowly dropping it when she saw that his sour expression hadn't changed. "If it helps, I had a great time yesterday." A stray thought, definitely not hers took over her mouth. "They're actually called _liú yíng." _she blinked twice afterwards, wondering why she blurted that out.

"...Right." She glanced quickly at the strange look he directed at her. "Who told you that?"

"Uh... Avatar... Roku?" she rubbed her arm, realizing that she must have sounded like a complete lunatic to him.

A ghost of a smirk played on Tai's features with a wry tilt of his head. "Must be useful to have them up there."

The brass and wood clock facing them from the corner of the hallway gave off a loud chime, interrupting her with a reminder. "Hey. I'm going to check up on Bolin. You coming with?-" Korra's spirits fell when she turned to see he had gone back to staring through the window into Tenzin's room again, the sour look back on.

She expelled a breath and shook his shoulder. "Tai?"

"I'll wait here."

Korra arched a eyebrow but didn't ask why. She settled for a nod as she walked past him and stopping just past his shoulder. She glanced down at his hand, just hanging there by his side, she wondered if she should- Korra shook her head and glanced at him. "I'll be back soon." she said with a soft voice.

Tai didn't move or turn his gaze elsewhere, hopelessly glued to watching the man in the other room.

Reluctance stopped her from moving off immediately. She looked at the floor and rubbed her elbow, wracking her brain for a few seconds before deciding on what she should do. She grabbed his hand with a slight squeeze to get his attention. "It wasn't your fault. You need to stop believing that." she dropped his hand and moved off as quickly as she could.

When she had walked half the length of the ward hallway he finally looked away from the window after her, his eyes narrowed and his mind set. Telei needed to go _down_. For Tenzin and _her_.

Shutting out the parts of him that immediately protested against doing that, he moved away from the window and opened the door to Tenzin's room. He closed it behind him with a soft click and set his sights on the glass slider door to the balcony connected to the room, focusing all he had on not looking at Tenzin.

He froze in the middle of the room when he noticed his eyes fluttering under his eyelids. And held his breath while waiting if anymore movement came from him. Nothing more did, and for a moment all of his drive to leave as quickly as possible drained away, instead trying to force him to stay in the room and sit by his master's side.

Telei's visage occupied his thoughts and he nodded to himself. He made his way towards Tenzin's bedside.

The rickety wooden chair squeaked as he sat down, his hands clasped together while he rested his chin on them. Looking at his master's peaceful features he heaved a quiet breath. "Hey, old man." he muttered finally.

"I'm heading out soon. Don't know if I'm coming back or not-" he cast his eyes downwards, suddenly losing the ability to speak and gaining a dry sensation in his mouth.

He couldn't do this, he should have left by now he should have- he stopped his panicking thoughts as he looked up at Tenzin, a determined light in his eyes. "You've protected me for so long. Against Amon. Against Tarrlok. Its only fair I protect you for once." his eyes narrowed for a moment. "There's no way I'm letting Telei hurt anyone else. I need to do this. For you." His eyes softened for a moment as he thought of Korra. "For her." he said, his voice a soft whisper.

One more time he looked straight at Tenzin. "I'm honored to have been your student, master." Reaching his hand forward, his fingers brushed against Tenzin's as he laid his palm over Tenzin's hand. "Goodbye."

Knowing if he didn't go _now_ he never would he pushed the chair back and stood up, turning to walk towards the still open door leading out to the ward hallway. Ducking through he was immediately greeted with Pema and her kids walking towards him, their feet echoing together on the smooth ceramic flooring. Pema spotted him and smiled. His eyes widened before he put on a neutral mask and walked towards them, keeping his gaze on nothing but his feet as they all stopped to greet him.

"Guys... hey."

"Were you just in there to see daddy?" Ikki asked excitedly, further sending his thoughts into a spin as he had no clue what to say.

"Ye-yes. But I need to go. Got a message from Zuko. Training." Tai shifted uncomfortably for a moment in front of the little girl, his eyes locking with Pema's for a moment and seeing the quizzical look she had.

Jinora folded her arms and tilted her head but he didn't catch it as he squeezed past them, desperation fueling his passage along the hallway. As he disappeared around the corner, she looked up at her mother, who supported Rohan as he clinged to her shoulder. "That was strange."she murmured.

Pema nodded wordlessly, her mouth pursed in concern as she looked down the hallway. She glanced down at her oldest daughter and smiled. "I'm sure its nothing, honey. We'll ask him when we get back home."

* * *

_Shōu K__ǒ__u_ _Emergency Ward, Room 40._

Korra grabbed the door handle to the hospital room, looking around to check for any sign of Tai coming down the hallway.

A few minutes passed. And he didn't show. She guessed that he was probably visiting Tenzin right now. She could understand why he was busy.

She grimaced when she looked at the plain brown door with the golden pair of numbers facing her, eyes narrowing as she recalled Mako's scathing words to her back at the White Lotus Compound. She hadn't even spared one thought for Mako at all, or to her own miserable realization, for _Bolin _either. What had she done since the attacks? Moped around. She had been too wrapped up in herself to even think of visiting Bolin to see how he was recovering.

That thought stopped her cold. That realization kept her trapped in her selfish thoughts. No matter what she tried to think she couldn't get over that single fact that she had been a terrible friend to Bolin for so long.

Like a whisper on the cool autumn breeze she heard a voice, either in her own thoughts or from elsewhere she did not know. _No matter what, Korra, he'll be happy to know you're there now. Don't be afraid._

Aang's voice told her what she should have already known but she just couldn't will herself to open that door and walk in there. _It'll be fine._

"... If you're sure, Aang." she murmured out loud. She directed slowly up from the floor, stopping at the little brass doorknob waiting for her fingers to close around and turn it. From her perspective it was simply taunting her. Putting aside her own thoughts she closed her hand around the doorknob, turning it and letting the door swing inwards.

It gave out a long drawn-out creaking squeak, opening the way into the room. She held up a hand to shield her eyes, squinting for a few moments as the thin slits between the curtains hanging blocking the window from view allowed in small amounts of light from the setting sun, filling some of the room with subdued warmth while dimness gripped the rest of it.

Slowly she stepped further in, her eyes downcast instead of looking at the sole bed-ridden occupant in the corner opposite her. She looked to the other bed, expecting to see Sensha sit up and greet her but the bed was unoccupied, its sheets made and ready for the next patient.

She arched a eyebrow, wondering she was as she walked further in, stopping in the space between both beds as her gaze resumed lingering on the floor. She looked up with a start when something squeaked and hopped onto her shoulders, nuzzling her chin and licking her cheeks. Despite herself she smiled and reached up a hand to stroke the little Fire Ferret's side. "Hey, Pabu. Haven't seen you in a while."

Pabu squeaked again, continuing to rub against her neck while she wrung her hands. Nervously her eyes focused on Bolin as her legs carried her forward a few steps closer to his bedside. She hoped he could forgive when he woke up, _if_ he woke up-

Pabu's shrill squeaks invaded her ear and she tore her gaze away from her friend, looking around and noticing that what little light there was before seemed subdued to almost nothing. Her eyes landed on a curvy pale-skinned woman facing her from the other side of the room, ragged strips of... blackness... clinged to her skin in a way that seemed too unnatural for clothing, giving the appearance that she wore a black dress that didn't reach above her armpits and only barely covered her breasts.

The same ghostly golden eyes leered at her as they did before, in a different room at the hospital. "You." she breathed, a shiver going up her back. _Her again_. Not Aang's, but Kyoshi's voice instead rang in her head.

Like before the spirit's smile appeared like a grotesque rendition of the real deal. She inclined her head. "Avatar, have I visited at a bad time?"

"What do you want?" she asked, cautiously advancing a step or two towards the half-there woman. "What are you?"

"As I stated before, a interested observer. That hasn't changed." the spirit's tone seemed warm... almost motherly even to Korra's ears, even while her instincts screamed and yelled at her to stop listening and just stop her from talking. She looked at Bolin, aware that she had just placed him in danger yet _again_ without even meaning to- "But the events I have observed... have taken a turn for the interesting."

_Careful, Korra._ Aang's calm tones warned her. She stood up straight even as her heart drummed out a ferocious beat. "What _events?_"

"That interesting young man you left at the airbender's resting place. The one who can create both Air and Fire."

"You leave him alone." she muttered with a growl, advancing another step. "You-"

"If you hurry you can catch him."

Her blood froze. "What are you-"

The spirit shimmered, making her eyes water a little as nothing but air remained in her place. _Korra, wait a moment we need to_-

She gritted her teeth. "Shut up!" she hissed, forcing Aang's voice down into the dark reaches of her thoughts. Breathing heavily she blinked several times while looking at the spot where the spirit was standing. Pabu's chitters shook her out of her reverie and she automatically reached a hand to rub his fur. She looked down at Bolin for a few seconds. "Keep Bolin company, Pabu." she murmured, plucking the protesting ferret from her shoulder and placing him on Bolin's chest.

Korra stepped away from the bed, looking at her friend- her _first_ friend since coming to Republic City- and nodded. She ran for the balcony, flinging open the glass doors without looking back and vaulting over the edge.

Focusing on her hand she jabbed towards the concrete, watching as her hand disappeared inside the balcony ledge and stopped her fall. She breathed heavily, adrenaline fueling her passage down the side of the hospital to the empty side-road below.

* * *

_Central Station Sub-Levels, Republic City_.

Something somewhere dripped, putting her on edge in the dark tunnels she had descended into. "Where are we?" she asked, her voice echoing off the wet walls of the dank tunnel, spreading in every direction with a persistent fading echo. She stopped and narrowed her eyes at the man, scarcely believing it was him. Because that otherwise meant-

"Central Station's freight tunnels to the industrial districts, Ms Sato." His deep voice said with a unmistakable gravel to it. He leveled a controlled look at her with his grey eyes, reaching a gloved hand up to take off his bowler hat. "There is a tram up ahead that will take us to our destination."

Once more Asami brushed her fingers against the leather covering of her discharger glove, checking it was within reach for her to pull out in a second for the fifteenth time since arriving at the station.

Once again the former lieutenant noticed the movement. The tinges of a smirk touched his wiry features for a moment. He continued down the tunnel and into a wide open room with half of its space take up by a train track and a dark yawning tunnel going both ways. She followed him, cautious about even coming down here in the first place. But she needed to know why he sent the letter to her. She needed to know why the Equalists seemed to be involved.

He stopped next to a freight tram sitting on the tracks, its tray completely empty. He reached over the side and unlocked the door, it swung out in front of him a before he grabbed hold of it. "We may have had our differences, Ms Sato. But that is all behind us." he indicated the tram with his other hand.

"That is hard to believe." Asami moved past him, her eyes on him the entire time as she stepped onto the empty tray, sitting down on a bench affixed to the sidewall and folding her arms.

"You'll see." Amon's former lieutenant closed the door behind him, flipping the latch to lock it and going over to the lever mounted on a nearby console. He pulled back on it, and below them the tracks squealed as the tram's wheels started rolling forward with increasing speed.

She looked down at the riveted metal plating as the darkness of the tunnel swallowed the tram, unsure what to believe anymore.

The tunnel's incline gradually changed to a steeper one, and as the wheels bumped and scraped against the tracks a lantern suspended on the freight tram's single tiny cabin winked on, the former lieutenant's hand hovering near it for a second before closing its front face up. The light from the lantern washed away the darkness around the tram, but didn't reach far as it reflected off the walls of the tunnel rushing by.

"It shouldn't be long now, Ms Sato."

Her eyes flicked up at him. And curiosity overtook her. "You could have gone anywhere in the world after Amon's revolution failed. Why did you stay in Republic City?"

The former lieutenant's chin dipped slightly while the leather in his glove squeaked as his hand bunched into a fist. "It wasn't just _his_ revolution. It was _all's_ revolution."

"Korra told me about what he did to you. How can you even believe in-"

"It was never _him _I believed in." the former lieutenant cut her off, his voice going incredibly low and sounding like even he didn't believe what he just said. "Just more evidence of the benders oppressing us non-benders. Your father understands that."

"What? My father's in prison, what does he-" Air rushed whipped her her about as the dark confines of the tunnel gave way to a wider yawning space, the general gloom making it impossible for her to tell exactly how big.

She strained her ears, able to hear some far off crowd moving about and shouting to each other. The Lieutenant placed his bowler hat back on, straightening it as she looked at him. "Where have you taken me?" she asked.

"Home, Ms Sato." she spotted ghostly green lenses observing from walkways above, while next to them sprays of sparks occasionally fell down from the gloomy heights, briefly highlighting the riveted chassis of a mecha tank held up in chains.

"No way." she quickly got up, following him off the tram onto a another platform. She kept one hand inside her jacket, making doubly sure the discharger glove was there. Reluctantly but knowing she had no choice now, she followed him off the platform and across a metal walkway with thin railing on either side, her boots making clanking noises on its rusted surface.

The noises of the crowd washed over her in greater concentrations as they reached the other side, stepping off the walkway and onto what looked to her like a cleared assembly floor. Up ahead stood a massive crowd, floodlights staring down at them from each corner of the assembly floor as they waited and bayed before a raised walkway set on train tracks, the type meant for building the trains that were Republic City's lifeblood.

The people at the crowd's edge spotted her, a crimson piece of clothing always on each and every one of them. She froze in place for a moment, thinking the worst when incredibly they _smiled _and _cheered_. In the dark assembly floor she felt nothing but apprehension for what was about to come.

Suddenly the crowd closed around her, but the former lieutenant stood by her side.

"Brothers and sisters..."

Her eyes widened.

A man she once knew as kindly, as sweet, as caring, as a _father_, walked into view on the walkway. His hands were clasped behind his back and he had a warm smile as he looked straight at her. "My heart fills with joy. For my dear daughter has come home."

"You can't be..." she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away and frozen in place, helpless to do nothing but stare up at him. At _Hiroshi_.

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

"Stay here, Naga!" she threw her legs over the saddle's side and slid down Naga's flank, stumbling forward as she landed at a awkward angle. She recovered and stood up straight, her shoulders moving up and down as she breathed heavily while looking up the boat ramp to the familiar complex at the top.

The polar-bear dog whined and tilted her head, but followed her command and sat back on her haunches.

She broke into a sprint towards the bottom of the ramp, quickly crossing the entire length of the pier and reaching the sheer rock wall the ramp cut up through. Bunching her hands into fists she stomped on the ground once, calling a column of rock to grow under her and lift her up into the air, bringing her to the next level of the ramp within seconds.

Korra hopped off, wasting no time as she turned and sprinted up the next portion of the ramp, her heart pounding in her ears and her breath slowly turning ragged in her chest as she neared the top of the ramp.

She reached the open courtyard, not stopping for anything as she sprinted across its width towards the Popa tree near the steps going up to the dormitories. Out of breath earlier than she liked she stopped before the first step, leaning forwards to get more air into her. She growled and stopped herself, fixing her gaze upwards and swinging her leg backwards, scraping the ground with her heel she lifted her other leg up and thrusted her hands at the steps.

They sunk into the ground as one, becoming a completely flat ramp of stone. She blasted a wild stream of air behind her, at such speed that it propelled her up her self-made ramp, she kept her balance the entire way up, eyes still focused on the top and nothing else.

Reaching the top once more, she dispelled the air scooter and ran the rest of the way. Bursting into the entry hall she immediately went for the stairs, taking two at a time and quickly reaching the second floor and hearing sounds of movement coming down the hallway from one of the guest rooms.

Not slowing down she barged down the hallway at breakneck speed, skidding to a halt with a puff at the only room with its slider door open.

He had one foot on the railing of the room's balcony, and a glider staff in his hand with his back to her. She didn't waste any time as she ran across the room, just as his hand moved in preparation to deploy the glider's wings and-

Her hand grabbed his, and pulled him towards her. His face full of surprise as he stumbled towards her. "Korra-"

She could say the only thing that came to mind. "Don't _go_." laying a hand on his staff she suddenly looked down at the balcony's floor. "You won't come back." Her eyes flicked back up, seeing the stricken look on him. "You can't face him on your own. Not without my help."

Tai could do nothing except look into her eyes and see the desperation of someone who didn't want anything else to go wrong. Who instead wanted something to go right for once. He could relate to that. But he couldn't forgive himself if something happened to her. Better it just be him instead. Not thinking clearly he relaxed his grip on the staff, as she snaked her hand around his waist. "Please."

Looking into her eyes stopped his thoughts and words cold, and only made him realise one thing that would haunt him for a long time afterwards. How _easily_ he lost control.

She didn't resist as he leaned forwards, his lips brushing against hers for a second before temptation forced him to just _act_. With a sharp intake of breath she returned the favour, pushing against his in turn with wild abandon. Somewhere in the back of his head he screamed, knowing that he was wasting time and that he should- he shut out the voice, and with a grunt slid his hand up her side under her shirt, reveling at the touch of her smooth skin.

Gripping onto her his he didn't realise he had taken a step forward, accidentally slamming her back into the wall of the building. He opened his eyes to behold a gaze full of _fire_ looking into his. Her grip tightened on him as her shoulder slipped off the wall, scraping against the wood and leaving a tingling sensation while sending her stumbling back into the room, taking him with her.

* * *

_Tiān Shàng plateau, central United Republic._

He groaned, the noise echoing around the dark empty ruin as his cheek slammed into the stone floor. "Reveal what you hid from me, Councilman." Telei's voice echoed as well, indistinct to him as his ears rang and his old body took the time to remind him of the abuse done to it by Telei.

Shizu picked himself up, slowly getting to his knees and wiping a bit of blood from a gash on his cheek. He swallowed and looked about the tall circular room, unable to tell how high it went up as nothing but yawning darkness greeted him.

His eyes flicked down, settling on a section of the wall ahead, jutting out a little unlike the rest of the stonework even though its surface was uniformly smooth. "Lucky for me finding this place took you a while." he chuckled as the airbender looked down at him with those piercing grey eyes. "I guess being forced to accept help from my old colleagues stung a little-" air rushed out of his throat of its own will, leaving him to slump to the side and clutch at his throat while gasping a sputtering.

"You are in a dangerous position, earthbender. Now _do it_." His last two words sounded off to Shizu's ears, and his eyes widened as his thoughts slowed to a crawl completely and his heart pounded in his ears, sounding like it was trying to push itself out of his throat. His eyes fluttered as his thoughts twisted into dark whispers, only able to partially form before being replaced by a strange hum. He tried to fight it, but for a long time had lost the strength to do so. "Y- you-" he tried to say as Telei strode forwards, eyes for nothing but the featureless slab.

Of their own will his hands seemed to move about in a series of defined movements, first pushing up then down, and then out to the sides. Each movement accompanied by the sound of grinding stone.

Before Telei's eyes, the featureless stone's surface shifted and shook as dust fell from it in multiple streams, cascading over lines and shapes gradually coming together to take the form of a complete carving.

The grinding faded away and Shizu gasped, his vision dimming as he fell to the floor again. Telei moved forwards and laid a palm on the restored carving. "Finally." he breathed.

"Air bender." a deep voice echoed off the walls. He grunted and turned around to look at the Dai Li Director standing in the entrance to the great building erected by his ancestors. "Our bargain." Kao said.

"Take the old man and put him to use, dirt-thrower. I have no use for him now. Your Lake Laogai could use another test subject."

Kao's eyes narrowed as two of his men stepped forwards without needing to hear a order. They both circled opposite sides of the room, their rockfists trained on Telei as they nervously approached Shizu.

Telei watched them closely as they dragged him away, going past the director and back outside into the lashing rain.

"Now. As I said. Our bargain."

Telei narrowed his eyes, hand dropping to his side.

* * *

土


	31. Families Reunited

土

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

Somewhere outside, thunder boomed and rumbled and shook the sky, the deep crescendo of noise filling the room for a full couple of seconds. To him it sounded like nothing more than a far-off whisper as the shaken boy stared at the opposite wall, sitting up with his back against the bed's headboard. Twisted sheets rested under his bare legs. His feet shifted about for a bit before nudging a ocean-blue sleeveless shirt, discarded and lying on its lonesome on the sheets as a twisted pile except for a silk orange scarf carelessly tossed on top of it.

A cold breeze blew through the room courtesy of a slight open crack between the balcony door and the wall, just strong enough to put a shiver across his chest and shoulders as he dry gulped at the sight of the very athletic girl's bare shoulders_- bare everything, _he corrected himself. Without meaning to he let his eyes wander over her shoulders and nape of her neck, unable to stop them from traveling from there down her finely toned back to the beginning of her curvy hips. With a incredible burst of willpower he managed to stop himself, and tore his gaze away from her and onto the wall ahead.

The wall seemed the simplest thing to look at. Inanimate. Uncomplicated. Not _her_.

What he would normally call thoughts swept about in a dizzying array, stopping him from focusing on what was important and what he needed to do. A burning pain erupted from his shoulder, making him hiss and clamp a hand on his shoulder. The pain forced his thoughts to stop, and he fixated on his duty, forgotten during the last couple of hours.

Telei. All he needed to do was focus on ending him. To focus on _getting_ to _him_.

So he shuffled forwards, ever-mindful of the sleeping Avatar as he carefully crept off the twisted bedsheets and stepped onto the cold wooden floor. He looked around for his pants, finding them with the side of his foot. He bent down and scooped them up, and shook them out before stepping into them.

As he twisted around in search for his shirt his shoulder burned more fiercely, making him grit his teeth and bear it as much as possible. He hesitated as his hand neared Korra's foot, poking out from the sheets wrapped around her. Tai flicked his eyes downward, directing a intense stare at the cream-colored sheets before taking action.

He hesitated as he grabbed the edge of his shirt's sleeve, fingers slightly curled around the grey fabric as he froze in place at the rustling sounds being made only a foot away. He waited as she shifted about restlessly, hoping that she hated mornings enough to stay asleep and unaware of him. Her movements gave way to stillness as she murmured something under her breath, Tai unable to catch whatever it was.

The boy shook his head with a near-silent growl and moved around to the foot of the bed to where his longcoat had been tossed over one of the corner posts carelessly, with his sword and sheath lying on the floor below it still fastened to his harness.

Tai pulled his shirt on, and slowly moved towards the balcony door as he circled his belt around his waist, tightening it before reaching to loop the harness over his shoulder and down his back. With his sword and sheath securely fastened he shrugged on his longcoat, and set his sights on the dark night sky on the other side of the thin door, wind wailing constantly.

He took one step forward, reaching a hand towards the door's edge when without meaning to he glanced back at Korra. He froze again, thoughts conflicting with each other and threatening to overwhelm him with-

The sound of the sliding door to the hallway being opened made him whip around, readying a explanation or excuse or just _anything_ for whoever came in when he saw Kaze's tail swishing back and forth, and watched as the Spirit-Wolf yapped once and tilted his head up at him.

Quickly the boy squatted down to shush him, rubbing Kaze's ears as he looked over at Korra. "I have to go, Kaze." he whispered into the wolf's ear, hoping he would actually understand. "You can't come with me. Okay?"

Almost like in response Kaze made a low whining noise and stood up on his hind legs, placing his paws on Tai's thighs with a whine. Tai closed his eyes and sighed as he reached down to rub Kaze's head. "You _can't_. You need to stay here and-" he hissed before his eyes fell on Korra, getting lost in her again. "-You need to protect Korra. And everybody else. Goodbye, little guy."

Tai straightened and as quick as he could slid open the door to slip through, closing it shut with a gust of wind from his hand as he focused on the dark skies suffocating the sky above. Bending down he picked up his glider staff and took a deep breath, flicking out the wings with a shake. "I need to do this." he murmured, hoping the words would battle the demons inside his head while convincing himself at the same time.

He found himself looking back into the room at the Avatar as she slept. A determined look settled on him as he pointed his hand back and he bent the air behind him, propelling him forwards and into the open air around the balcony.

The boy swung his gaze forwards, hanging on to the glider as the wind rushed under the outstretched gullwings and kept them taut and providing lift. With a grunt he pulled the glider upwards, climbing into the sky with steadily increasing speed until the island and the collection of buildings on it, his _home_, were nothing but distant patches of land and colored blocks.

* * *

_Tiān Shàng Plateau, Central United Republic._

The river he had been following for the last couple of hours veered in a wild curve near the base of the upcoming wall of hills and ridges, running parralel to them and disappearing around their outer edge to get to the other side. He thought about following it around but decided against it, keeping his flight unchanged as he neared the largest of the hilly bluffs and ridges.

Tai lifted the glider upwards, skirting close to the hill's summit, which peaked much higher than its neighbors and was heavily covered with tall trees, some of which very nearly reached up to where he flew, only short a few meters.

His eyes narrowed as the hillside rolled away below him, spilling out onto a foggy dense forest that stretched out as a sea of dark murky leaves for many kilometers ahead, only breaking in its regularity for a absolutely gargantuan plateau lying right in the middle of the forest. The monolithic landmark was a dirty grey color, with occasional streaks of green breaking up the monotony which he guessed to be trees or plants growing out from the crags and fissures marring its surface all the way around.

Didn't look so 'heavenly' to him.

Looking up to the top of the plateau he saw that it was almost entirely covered in a sea of dark trees, just like the rest of the forest sitting below in its shadow. But it was the collection of weathered unnatural stone formations poking above the trees and towering above the plateau that caught his attention. And the airship hovering nearby, ropes trailing from its underbelly down to the plateau.

The view of the top of the plateau disappeared as he raced over the tops of the trees growing closer to the landmark's base, replaced by rocky walls soaring upwards. Waiting until he was getting close to the wall he yanked the glider upwards into a steep vertical climb, the wind whistling through over the gullwings as it stretched and shifted them about. The rocky face of the plateau raced by in front of him as dizzying display of gray and green until it dropped away to a unbroken ring of thick tree trunks with darkened canopies, the narrow gaps inbetween them filled with ground-choking fog.

He grimaced as he slowed the glider down and leveled it out over a clear patch of ground before the treeline, knowing the fog will prove to be a problem. Tai stayed still as he could while standing there, in order to listen for any out of place noises coming from within the forest.

Again he grimaced. Nothing at all. No birds, no boarcupines, no tiger-hawks, not even a flying lemur. All was still.

Breathing out quietly he moved forward across the solid and dry dirt towards the tree-line, making certain his steps were light and quick. Every so often out of the corner of his eye he noticed strange patterns running along the ground, raised lines of dirt and gravel that always curved off in a different direction from the others. Once he got to the start of the treeline he turned around and saw why, easily able to pick out the three lines swirling around themselves grouped together in the shape of a triangle. The symbol of the Air Nomads.

He looked away from the mildly interesting sight, and stared into the depths of the forest ahead. He went in, treading carefully over the tangles of dark colored branches and the spongy mat of wet leaves that covered the whole area, squelching each time his foot pressed down on it and most likely disturbing some ancient horror.

Tai's eyes scanned the foggy depths between the dark tree trunks, constantly moving left and right to spot any movement that would betray anyone using the forest as cover. Or as a ambush site.

A stick broke somewhere up ahead, a sharp clear snap that crackled through the still and heavy air and making him freeze to the spot for a few precious seconds before ducking behind a nearby tree. Bark scraped at his back as he pressed up against it, not realising how heavy his breathing was as he peered around the side of the tree, a hand already closing around his sword's handle at the chance that it could be _Telei_ up ahead.

Thoughts ran through him. _This was off to a great start_.

Another stick snapped and rang through the forest, putting him on edge as his grip tightened further on the handle, the worn black leather squeaking a little as he subconsciously tugged it a little free of the sheath, the silvery blade singing a little as it rasped against the leather-

Something pressed against his upper chest and pinned him to the tree as he grunted in surprise, his hand tugging on the sword with greater force in order to free it and face his attacker. He stopped cold when he found himself looking at a familiar shadowed face with a burn scar running from his chin to his temple. "What are you-" Tai managed to say before his older brother cut him off with a growl.

"I can ask you the same thing! I didn't want you here!" he hissed, eyes furious. "You need to go back to Republic City you-"

"Tarrin. Calm down for a moment, you'll get us made if you carry on like this."

Tarrin growled as he glanced at Ling, watching as the earthbender came out from the nearby trees and stopped next to him.

Tai easily spotted the steel in his eyes like before at Narook's Noodlery. "Ling? What-" he stopped as Tarrin retracted his forearm, unpinning Tai from the tree trunk and letting him move around a little. "What are you two _doing _here?" Tai looked at Tarrin. "Why aren't you back in Republic City with Yem?" he swung his gaze towards Ling. "And you-"

"That same airship was at the Southern Air Temple. You saw it, didn't you? My reasons are simple. I'm going to rescue my uncle from the Director and his men. Your brother is here for the same reason." Ling explained, folding his arms and showing none of the usual idiot expression he had.

He turned to Tarrin. "And you? Big brother?"

Tai nearly would have shrinked back if it weren't for the tree trunk behind him, Tarrin's gaze bore into him with unwavering intensity. "To protect you." he muttered. "But you're here now. So we might as well use the backup. Why are you here?"

"He's _here_." Ling raised a eyebrow as he rubbed his chin, while Tarrin's eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth.

"That's problematic." Ling said, glancing at the two of them.

Tarrin shook his head and looked away from them, deeper into the trees. "No it isn't." he muttered. "The old man just gave me another chance to finish the job." he took a few steps forwards and looked back at Tai. "Don't get in my way, and keep out of sight as much as you can." he noticed the indignant look on his younger brother's face. "And keep up."

A voice echoing through the trees close by interrupted them. "-es the Director give us the crappiest patrols?"

"-robably sick of your constant whining, Lei. Keep moving."

Tarrin and Tai turned at the sound of fabric shifting around, seeing Ling pull on his rock-fist and flex his fingers. He nodded at the two of them as he drew one of the mini crossbows, a dart with a luminous green body already readied to fire. "I'll take care of these two. Make it as noisy as possible to draw out the rest of Kao's men and get the airship's attention." a little smirk appeared. "You two should be free to get closer to the central ruin, I'll bet that's where Shizu is being held. Good luck." he saluted clumsily with the crossbow in his hand and ran off through the dense brush, every step accompanied by a echoing squelch and snapping bark.

The two voices cried out in alarm, only for one of them to be silenced a second later with the second cutting off a the sound of a meaty thud.

"Okay. Let's-" Tai turned to see Tarrin already rushing through the brush ahead, head bowed and legs bent so he barely showed at all above the brush. "Great." Tai muttered, following the winding and confusing path he took through the forest, sometimes doubling back on itself. Shouting voices echoed through the forest around them, putting Tai on edge and making him scan the surrounding undergrowth just in case they came too close for comfort.

Up ahead the tree's started to thin out, signalling the edge of the forest was approaching. He continued to follow Tarrin until his older brother lithely slipped through a gap between two gargantuan trunks, Tai growled in frustration, knowing he could never clear that gap in time so he took the long way around. A line of thick bushes rushed up to meet him, he put his shoulder forward and crashed through them, twigs and branches snapping in his wake and leaving numerous stinging scratches on him before finally they disappeared, replaced by open air and the sight of a warren of stone ruins occupying the open space ahead.

He skidded to a halt when he caught up to Tarrin, who laid a arm across his chest while his other hand drew a saber.

Up ahead at the top of a worn and barely recognizable set of stone steps, leading up to the base of the large spire he saw before, was Telei.

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

She slowly opened one eye, blinking in irritation from a bit of sleep dust almost immediately. She closed her eye again and expelled a deep breath as she stretched, the sheets ruffling and rumpling as she enjoyed the energized sensation flowing from her shoulders down to her legs. Probably the one part about waking up in the morning she never minded.

This time she opened both eyes at the sight of a almost pitch black sky through the balcony door standing astride the bed, leaving the room completely open to the chill breeze. The morning was not even close.

The breeze picked up, brushing a shiver over her bare shoulders as she clutched the sheets wrapped around her tightly. She shuffled around a little, relishing how the pleasantly warm air trapped within felt on her skin as it combated the near-freezing breeze. She let her hands drop the sheets, feeling the interior folds of the sheets brush against her. A pout appeared on her as some of the warm bliss started to disappear.

She sat up, her arms clutching the sheets to keep her front covered and warm. A cold breeze sent shivers up her spine, putting goosebumps across her bare back as she glanced over at the open balcony door, able to see a sliver of the silver moon beginning its descent as the morning approached, replacing the pitch black clouds from before with a dark grey sky.

Fully awake her eyes widened at the realisation she was alone in the empty lifeless room. Nobody else was there. "Tai?" she whispered with a squeak, clawing twisted and clumpy strands of hair out of her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder, seeing nothing but a vaguely body-shaped collection of folds and lines over the other half of the bed.

Her eyes fell on her twisted and crumpled tunic lying on the sheets over by her feet. With a increasing sensation of numbness filling her she leaned forwards and reached for it, slipping it over her head and putting her arms through the armholes. She reached down to straighten the bottom edges of the tunic, her mouth drawn and face a mask.

Korra threw the sheets away from her and swung her legs over the side of the bed, feeling another shiver go through her when her feet touched the cold floorboards. Bending down she grabbed her pants, folding them out before standing up and stepping a leg into each hole before noticing that her underwear had slipped down her thigh a little. Locking her thoughts down on what happened before she took a moment to adjust them before pulling her pants on. Looking she found her sealskin waistwrap and circled it around her.

The room was still except for her. _What did she do now? Where was he? Why did he_- Korra's breathing grew frantic as her thoughts tumbled over each other in their succeeding attempts to overwhelm her and-

A howl froze them to their core.

She looked around for her hair tubes, finding them scattered around the room she shoved them in her pocket. Taking a deep breath she turned and threw open the door leading out to the hallway, holding onto the doorframe for support before letting go and sprinting down the length of the guest room corridor. Once reaching the stairs she suddenly veered left, following the railing encircling them towards a lone window looking out onto the building's sloped roof.

The howling continued and increased in volume as she opened the window, squeezing through and tumbling out of it onto the blue shingles. She flailed for a few frightful seconds, before steadying herself and turning to run along the roof's edge until she could see the top of the great stone steps connecting the courtyard to the dormitories.

Kaze sat on the edge of them, nose upturned and ears back as he howled and howled and howled. Her heart sank at the sight, recalling a cold terrible memory holding the same howls from Naga braving a blizzard for her sake.

She sat down, her legs hanging over the awning for a moment before she slid herself forwards, quickly hooking her fingers on the edge just before she slipped off entirely. A grunt came out of her as she held on, dangling a few meters above the covered walkway connecting the central building to the guard barracks at the edge of the manmade plateau. She released her grip, bending her knees to absorb the impact as she landed on the shingles. Korra didn't wait around, moving to the edge and hopping down from there to the ground below.

Korra moved past the pond, approaching the steps as the Spirit Wolf continued his howling. Kaze's howls died away for a moment when he noticed her, turning around and rubbing his cheeks over her shins and nuzzling her hand as he made whining noises. She bent down on one knee, eyes downcast. She didn't know what to _do._

The wind picked up in its intensity, forcing her to shift a little as a long and serpentine shape broke out of the clouds over the bay. Kaze's whines changed to barks as he danced away from her, foreshoulders down and back arched as he barked at the strange disturbance. Korra blinked twice, mouth hanging open as the shape came into focus once it reached the island's pier.

It was a Sky Bison, but its fur was not pure white and smooth, but a light grey with charcoal streaks. And rather than the straight and thin horns that Oogi and the other Bison living on the island wore, its horns grew in tight curls reminiscent of the Buffalo-Yaks used by the Southern Water Tribe. It landed on the courtyard, its accompanying grumble carrying up to her.

She ran down the steps as fast as she could, arms flailing as when she stepped too far a few times and nearly pitched forwards onto her face, her eyes were glued to the figure sliding down the strange Bison's flank and moving to rub its snout.

Finally she reached the bottom, with Kaze skidding to a halt close behind her. Breathing heavily she leaned forward with hands on her knees as the figure, who she saw wore orange robes and had long brown hair, walked towards her.

The figures shadow came over as she looked up into the face of the woman she met at the White Lotus Compound. "Avatar Korra?" Korra nodded, straightening while within her thoughts continued to race concerning where Tai had gone.

The woman, who she saw had light grey eyes and pale skin, smiled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head, almost as if in apology. "Sorry for not telling you my name before. I'm Talisa..." she trailed off as she grimaced. "Is everything well?"

"N- I'm fine!" Korra lied, smiling at her.

Talisa returned the smile with a nod. "If you say so, kid. I've been told that my son is living here." her smile slipped a little, but she still kept it on, not wanting the Avatar to realise just how much of a screw-up she was.

"Son? Who do you-" her blood nearly froze, her mind went blank, and complete numbness filled her at the woman's next words.

"My son. His name is Tai?" Korra's eyes went wide as the woman flicked her gaze downwards. "I took my time, but I'm here to see him. Is he around?"

Korra immediately stared downwards at her feet. This wasn't good.

* * *

_Shōu K__ǒ__u General Hospital, Room 40._

Mako rubbed a hand down his face, stopping when he felt the rough stubble thickly lining his jawline. He grimaced, averting his eyes from the nearby window so he wouldn't have to see how much of a mess he was.

His eyes flicked upwards as he dropped his hand to his side and nodded. Opening the door he stepped into the room, and walked with a brisk and controlled pace towards the other end of the room, stopping in the space between Bolin's bed and the empty one behind him. He just stared, taking in the mess of black hair that was usually slicked back in the ducktail style he told Bolin the girls loved.

Even though his little brother was nearly eighteen years old he was still just as gullible now as he was at six years old. Mako tensed his hand, curling his fingers and picking out the myriad scratches going up and down them. His face darkened at the memory of being surrounded by those Agni Kais. And what they did to _Bolin_.

He looked down at his brother, who currently had a line of drool seeping out of the corner of his open mouth, telling Mako that he was definitely recovering. And he sighed. "Bo'." he whispered, grabbing the chair nearby and sitting down on it. He leaned forwards, elbows resting on his knees as he rubbed his wrists. "Sorry I haven't been around to see you until now."

His thoughts raced as he recalled the burning hate that had consumed his mind while chasing after Oranis and the Agni Kais. "I tried to catch them after what they did to you. Really, I _did_." he ground his teeth and screwed his eyes shut, unable to stop reliving those moments spent consumed by hate. Heaving a heavy breath his eyes opened. "I got my chance to meet them though. Felt like how it did when I ran the numbers for the Triple Threats back in the day." his eyes darkened. "I met their leader."

_Traitor. Street-Rat. _These words rang in Mako's head without cease as images of a dark tunnel, lit up by gargantuan flashes of fire and rocked by grinding earth and stone shaking its very foundations. All he could have done there was watch. But with all of his heart he wished he could have done more. But he was just a kid. And they told him to stay _hidden_.

Mako found no point in wiping away the tear rolling down his cheek, instead slowly unwinding his crimson scarf until it rested in both of his upturned hands. He stared down at it, remembering how many times he ran it underneath the kitchen tape trying to wash off all of the blood, unsure if it had any effect at all because of the deep rich red fabric. "He killed them, Bolin. He tried to kill you. But I'm going to _kill him_." he muttered. "I'm going to kill him." he repeated, not noticing that Bolin's fingers had flexed slightly.

"They've taken so much from us." Mako whispered, now not just thinking of himself and Bolin. But of Asami as well. "I'll-" his breath caught and he froze in place as he watched Bolin slowly and blearily open his eyes.

"Mako?"

Mako's jaw nearly dropped, as the darkness in his eyes disappeared, chased away by something he hadn't felt in a long while. Complete happiness. With a giddy smile he reached forward and gripped his younger brother's hand tight as he could. "Bo'? You're awake!"

"Sure am..." Bolin let out a lengthy groan as he slowly sat up, rolling his shoulders and seething whenever he found a sore spot in his muscles. Of which there happened to be many. He blinked twice as he looked over Mako, immediately noticing the thick line of stubble lining his jaw. "Hey, you haven't been-" Mako laughed and lunged, wrapping his little bro in a bear hug, overcome with sheer joy. "-Yow! Mako! I'm a little _sore!_"

He couldn't stop laughing, and couldn't hear Bolin's protesting. A series of squeaks drew his attention for a moment and he watched as Pabu skittered out from underneath the bed and clambered up the overhanging bedsheets on his journey to Bolin's shoulders.

Pabu squeaked as he launched a assault of licks over his cheeks, clambering all over his neck and shoulders. Bolin laughed out loud, then groaned and clamped his arms around his ribs as he screwed his eyes shut. "Its good - to see you - too buddy!" he said in between wheezing breaths.

Mako shook his head as he plucked Pabu from Bolin's shoulders, allowing him to breathe and recover from the terrible assault. "Thanks."

"No problem, bro'."

Bolin glanced up at him and chuckled a little, falling quiet for a few moments. "How've you been holding up?"

"You're asking _me_ how _I've _been holding up?"

"Well sure. I've been napping this entire time." a big grin showed on Bolin, underscored by a slight grunt of pain.

"I-" Mako rubbed his wrists, wondering if Bolin heard any of that stuff before. He couldn't tell him. Not now. Mako looked at his brother. "Its been tough but I think we'll be okay from now on. Councilman Tenzin got hurt as well, though. A lot of people did."

Bolin slowly nodded, before he twisted to look at the bed next to his. "What about Sensha? Is she-"

"Don't know. Asami told me she left the hospital a few days ago for her bodyguard gig with Princess Eska."

"Hey, I've got a favor to ask you..." Bolin grunted again as he shifted around, motioning for Mako to move out of the way as his feet touched the cold floor and he expelled a deep breath to steady himself.

"Sure. Anything." Mako said, standing up and pushing the chair away before hovering near Bolin's side.

"I want to go see Korra. Can you help me over to the island?"

Without hesitation Mako nodded, even if it involved someone he didn't have the inclination or patience for anymore.

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

A final grunt of effort came out of Mako as they finally reached the top of the island's boat ramp, looking at a scene of chaos and pandemonium. The courtyard echoed with shouting voices as both Air Disciples and White Lotus Sentries in their peaked helmets ran to and from every direction, looking almost directionless

The two brothers looked at each other as they came to a standstill. Mako rolled his shoulder a little under Bolin's thickly built arm, but didn't protest. A short distance away they spotted Naga as she padded around in a listless wander, curious mix of roars and whines coming from her maw while nearby a group of White Lotus Sentries advanced cautiously, holding ropes and chains in their hands.

They stopped advancing with yelps of fright and surprise as Naga spotted the two of them, bounding over and barking in greeting. Her thundering steps shook the ground as she neared them, only stopping when she came to a halt in front of them and rubbed up against Bolin with her cheek. She pushed her snout against him, and Mako was forced to back away or get bowled over.

"Naga! Its so good to see you girl! Oh, I've missed ya' too!" Bolin exclaimed as he held onto Naga's snout for balance and support, trying and failing to stop her from licking his arms and face. "What's wrong, huh? Is Korra here too?"

The Polar-Bear Dog whined her reply just as Bolin spotted a familiar short-haired girl running full-pelt towards him from across the dormitory side of the courtyard. "Bolin!" Sensha shouted, nearly breathless as she slammed into him and laughed with joy, all the while her charges tried their best to keep up.

Bolin winced as several places in his shoulders, back, chest, and possibly hip cracked. "Sensha, a little _less pressure!_" He managed to squeak out.

"Oh! Sorry!" Sensha immediately hopped back with a nervous step, just as Eska and Desna caught up. The twins both had their hands on their knees, leaning forwards and breathing heavily.

Sensha glanced around and spotted the two of them, yelping as some kind of crude apology and immediately straightening and clearing her throat. "I mean - its good to see you up and about." A tired smile crept up on Bolin as he looked at her, very glad that she was okay.

He peered over her shoulder at Eska and Desna. "Hey princess! Hey prince!" he waved weakly at the two of them, finding that his gaze kept sliding over to Eska's concerned features that she kept trying to conceal.

"Bolin. How are you injuries?" Eska stepped forward, her hands clasped and expression controlled.

"Kinda just got out of the hospital about five minutes ago." he laughed, rubbing the back of his head and ignoring the massive burning sensation blooming across his muscles.

The reaction he got from Eska and Sensha was not what he expected. They both sighed and shook their heads at him, folding their arms. He arched a eyebrow, still rubbing his neck. "So where's Korra? Bet she'd like to know I'm up and about, right?"

Eska shook her head, while Sensha stared down at her feet. "Guys?" he asked, glancing at Mako with a shrug.

Desna stepped forward, his stance composed even as a grim look showed on him. "The White Lotus have been searching the island. She's gone."

* * *

_Underneath Republic City Main Terminal._

"I have done wrong by you, Asami."

Even though the crowd around her roared and bayed, shouting at the top of their lungs at their new 'savior', she could hear him. She tried to shut him out, knowing that rationally she shouldn't have even come here at all, much less listen to whatever _he _had to say. He stopped being her father the second his bombs tore apart the innocent men and women under Iroh's command. He stopped being her father when he climbed into that mecha tank. He stopped being her father when he gave her _that choice_.

"I have. I freely admit it. My lessons were heavy-handed but my mind - I was lost in darkness and hate. Grief had taken complete hold of my actions, driven me to my barbaric methods. Grief from what _benders_ did to your mother."

Asami dropped her gaze, biting her lip as the memories from that night loomed large, overpowering her with the stink of burnt flesh, her own frenzied crying and screaming, and a Water Tribe medic's desperate attempts to keep her patient alive and breathing. She looked up and stared her father in the eye, wondering if people like Korra, Mako, Bolin, Tai, how people like them could so easily use their born gifts for petty thievery and cruelty.

She never told anyone, but Mako had the same dark gleam in his eyes when looking for Korra in the Equalist prison. She didn't want to burden him with something so trivial. Asami knew that he would never act that way.

"Asami, you and many of the people here feel the same that I feel." Hiroshi paused, as the floodlights blared with greater intensity until they illuminated a huge stack of black and crimson shipping containers towering over where he stood. He smiled again. "You have given them the tools they need to express their grief. You have given them hope."

Her blood chilled at the sight of the gear logo on the side of each container. "The _Moonflow's_ shipment." she whispered to herself, getting a slight nod from the lieutenant as he stood next to her.

"Now give this old man hope. You are my daughter. Can you forgive me?"

The roar of the crowd surrounding her sounded mute compared to the living and breathing _ghost_ looking down at her, with a smile she once thought warm and kind before events out of her control changed everything.

"Father-" her voice trembled, unsure what to do.

* * *

土


	32. Cold Fire, Warm Rain

土

* * *

_Tiān Shàng plateau, Central United Republic._

"Student." The wind's ceaseless howling punctuated the old man, and Tai knew that in no possibly way he should have been able to hear the muttered word so clearly from so far away. He flicked a glance at Tarrin, seeing the darkening scowl on him. He heard it as well.

Telei advanced down the steps with purpose, prompting Tarrin to draw his other saber, holding both them in each hand with a firm grip. "I see you've finally learned a lesson. Is he better than you? The oldest usually is."

Tarrin took a step forward, still keeping a hand in front of Tai to stop him from charging forwards. "You're in my way. You won't be for long."

The airbending master tilted his head and nodded. "Hmm. We'll see." he reached the bottom of the steps and stopped, looking at Tai. "Tenzin, how is he-" he stopped himself with a light smirk at the look of rage forming on the boy.

Tai's blade rattled as his grip tightened and his knuckles whitened, his eyes narrowed in fury. "Don't you _dare_! You even whisper his name and I-" he only just managed to stop himself, staring at the muddy stones underneath his foot before looking back up. "You've hounded me for long enough!"

"Hounded you? You really think you're that important? Its never been you I've been 'hounding'."

"You're after the Avatar. That's clear enough." Tarrin said, walking forwards and standing in between his little brother and Telei.

"Well now, that's quite a bold statement to make. I could just as easily be looking to reacquire my student instead." the old man's eyes flashed from underneath the hood as he said this, looking past the nuisance and seeing the fear surfacing on Tai. "But yes, you are correct. Its the Avatar."

"Why?" Tai went to take a step forward but a lightning-quick look from his brother stopped him. Only just.

The old man answered with a low chuckle. "Should you really be asking that? The girl is quite simply the most powerful creature on this earth. I require that power for a little errand of mine."

"This if the farthest you'll get." Tarrin murmured, upending his swords so that each tip pointed in the opposite direction from the other and the bottom of their handles faced each other with a small space between them.

The boy watched out of the corner of his eye as a pair of flat rectangular prongs protruded from the base of each handle, alternated in opposite spaces from one another facing dark slits cutting into the interior of the brass handles.

Tarrin brought the handles towards one another, the prongs sliding into the slots in the opposite handle with a sharp click as they locked in place. "I'll handle him, little brother. You get inside the spire and find the councilman." he muttered, a dangerous glint in his narrowed eyes, directed on Telei and never taking them off him for a second.

The old man lifted a hand into the sky, swirling his arm at first before steadily gaining speed. The sky above responded in kind. Clouds darkened even further, swirled and fought with each other as they slammed together, forcing the first torrential downpour of rain to start falling over them. "Just for a bit of atmosphere." Telei said before his voice became lost in the ever thickening haze of rain and noise hammering the ruin.

A single clear note rang through the harsh roaring rain as he held his sword loosely by his side, tip slightly downwards, catching rain on its back edge which rolled down its length. His grey eyes didn't even register Tai now, only Tarrin instead as the older boy took a few steps forward, keeping his double-sword loose but ready.

Telei lifted a hand skyward, and above the sky rumbled and the clouds shifted and roiled. Somewhere up above thunder roared, muffled but still domineering. He dropped his hand as the rain grew noticeably heavier once again, now forming a river of drops running off the edge of his blade.

"Wait for three seconds, then start moving." Tarrin hissed to him, his back turned as he started to circle Telei, his eyes fixed on the wily old man with hawk-like intensity while providing a barrier between him and Tai. He flipped up his hood to ward against the incoming rain, as the old man did the same.

"But-" he wanted to protest, to stay and make sure his brother wouldn't get himself hurt or _worse_, to take action against the wily old man advancing towards Tarrin, his eyes hidden but intent very clear.

Tarrin adjusted his grip on the extra-long handle of the double-saber, having to compensate for the added weight by holding onto both ends of the joined handles with each hand.

The raging air shimmered once around Telei, and like a bullet he sped forwards, sword-tip on a unwavering course for Tarrin. He grunted once as he took a step and twisted around, bringing the flat of one of his blades from the side to deflect Telei's attack. As the side of his blade managed to connect with Telei's own, he quickly took one hand off and reached into the pouches on his belt, a split-second later he had a silver canister in his hand. Another split second and it was between Telei's feet.

Telei growled and danced backwards, a arm covering his hood's opening, retreating away from Tarrin as he lunged forward, extending one of the double-saber's blades in front of him.

Tai bolted, his vision bobbing as his steps made wet thuds in the slowly liquefying soil between the stone blocks buried amongst the ground, a constant eye on the loud and incredibly blistering display of blows, jabs, slashes and sweeps Telei and Tarrin exchanged with one another in the storm of swords. "He'll be fine - he'll be fine- he'll be fine-" Tai whispered in between his labouring breaths, his eyes set on the muddy steps leading up to the old weathered spire on the crest of the hill ahead.

As the two clashed behind him he willed his legs to go faster, using airbending to speed up a little. His leading foot slipped on the first step but he recovered, seeing that the stones were beginning to be overtaken by a thin layer of mud and water, flowing down from the top of the hill as a downpour of rain made its presence known. He fought to keep his balance on the uneven and wornaway steps, but managed to make it all the way to the top.

The spire loomed above his head as he came to a stop before it, cracks and fissures running through its lifeless stone, at many points widening into great gaps and holes pockmarking its entirety. At some point, a very long time ago, it would have been beautiful, comparable to the structures he had seen at the Southern Air Temple. But nature had reclaimed it and the surrounding ruins completely, leaving nothing but stones choked through with thick plants.

His breath caught as he saw a faint rectangular indentation ahead of him, a curved stone awning hanging above it supported by columns with flowing engraves cut into them. There was supposed to be a entrance there but- he ran forward, rubbing his hands all over the completely smooth surface as panic filled him, if the councilman was in there how was he going to- he growled and slammed his fist against the wall. To his surprise it gave way, sliding down into the muddy ground to reveal the cold and calculating features of the Director. His cold green eyes narrowed.

Tai went to reach for his sword when Kao's gauntlet covered hand wrapped around his throat before he could do anything. A thin crystalline sliver flashed green in Tai's vision as a thin blade extended from within the Dai Li Director's shadowy sleeve. The tip pressed against his neck as Kao leaned his face closer. "Should you go help your older sibling? He appears to be struggling."

Kao's slate colored rockfist crashed into the boy's stomach, tearing a choked gasp out of him and taking away his breath. Stars filled Tai's vision as something shot upwards out of the mud and struck him in the jaw, sending him tumbling back down the muddy steps, rain stinging at him from all sides and breath loud and ragged in his ears, the profile of the director and his Dai Lai constant in his spinning vision.

A ragged shudder spiked through his body as he came to a halt, tasting nothing but mud and dirt and a red haze clouding his throbbing vision. With a bare grunt he coughed and gasped, scrambling to his feet while doing his best to ignore the signals telling him to just lie still and not hurt himself. Breathing heavily and with one eye half-closed he stared up the steps, waiting for the Director to come down and face him.

Lightning flashed overhead, highlighting the spire and the ruins in stark white light. His eyes widened. There was no one there.

Heart pounding in his ears he turned around to see his brother still fighting Telei, their swords arcing and flashing towards each other only to be deflected or dodged. Tai gritted his teeth and drew his sword, seeing a definite lag in Tarrin's movements and attacks that wasn't there before.

He was going to slip up soon. Tai could tell. And then Telei would- the boy's eyes widened at the thought, which rooted him to the spot with images of the worst. That wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to _let it_.

Tai stared down at his hand, feeling the warm flow of chi pooling there from his arm. Zuko's lessons resounded in his mind. That would do it. He took a deep breath...then took another... and another... none of them doing anything to calm his pounding heart or curb his slightly frantic breath. He gritted his teeth and concentrated on his hands and picturing nothing but them.

Still nothing.

Panic took him over as he noticed his hands starting shake, when a pair of blue eyes entered his mind. Her eyes managed to do the impossible, to do the _opposite_ of what they usually did to him. Her eyes calmed him down. Holding onto the mental picture, he took a deep breath, feeling it as his chest lifted and expanded for a second, before lowering down again with his release of the deep breath.

Sparks danced between his fingers. And his eyes zeroed in on Telei. Nothing but him.

"You're slowing down, aren't you?" He gritted his teeth as another tremor ran down his arm, he slid his other hand down the handle and pushed the other blade forwards, swiping it at Telei's side as the other blocked another of the airbender's lightning quick blows.

"Maybe." He ducked underneath a follow-up sweep, lashing his own foot out in turn but hitting nothing but air as Telei twisted around with his fist leading towards his stomach. His eyes narrowed as he twisted around the old man's fist, jabbing at his exposed shoulder. "But not fast enough."

Telei answered with a chuckle as he leaned back, grabbing the side of Tarrin's hood and wrenching him off-balance. "Its been a while since I've felt this thrill. I want to thank you, non-bender."

Tarrin wrestled against the old man's vice grip, seeing that there wasn't enough room to swing the double-saber. "Tell you what-" The young man grunted and with a great effort managed to twist enough to loosen his grip, with newfound freedom he jabbed the leading blade towards Telei's throat, only to be stop at the last moment, his drive suddenly disappearing. His eyes widened in shock at the oily sensation in his head as Telei's voice sounded in his thoughts.

_I'll reward your commendable effort with a little secret._

He struggled, putting his everything into pushing the blade forward, only for that to fall away into inaction as the oily sensation filled his head.

Before it could land Tarrin managed to sweep the double-blade around, tearing a rent in the old man's sleeve but failing to connect anywhere else. Telei took his hand back, stepping forward and sending his shoulder crashing into Tarrin's chest. Telei looked at him. "You're good. Certainly better then my student could ever be." The young man grunted, forced into a stumble and allowing Telei to plant a hand on his chest, a strong punch of wind forced a grunt out of him as it sent him backwards.

He flailed a moment, fighting to keep his balance and keep straight as he slid back through the mud, the rain unleashing a constant roar in his ears. He focused, and twisted his body around, utilizing the momentum as he dragged out a brass bola pair and started spinning it just as he spotted the spire on the hill, and seeing Tai recovering from a fall down the steps. His thumb found the tiny pressure wire spun around the bola rope and he quickly pressed down on it.

Spinning back around as his slide came to a halt he stared down Telei. "He's not your 'student'. He's my brother." his tones calm and controlled he loosed the bola, watching the metal spheres spin around each other as they whipped through the air towards Telei. His eyes narrowed at the invasive voice ringing in his head.

_You think that toy will do it, non-bender?_

Telei's sword sliced clean through the middle of the bola's wire, shearing the twin spheres away from one another.

But a smirk touched Tarrin's lips as he spotted the smoke curling up from the spheres as the agents began to mix with each other. The balls detonated as twin explosions, the resulting shrapnel too small and light to injure Telei or pierce his thick coat but the pressure of the explosions combined was enough to send him tumbling back through the mud away from Tarrin.

Breathing a little more heavily then he liked he took one look at the double-sword, beginning to feel its weight dragging on his tiring hands. He quickly depressed a small indented section on the bottom of each handle, and with a click the prongs on each saber disengaged and slid back inside their handles. Each saber was on its own again.

The thick curtains of rain bucketing down almost made him miss the tell-tale shimmering of the air between him and Telei. He quickly tipped his swords towards each other, locking the blades behind each other. The thunderous blow slammed straight into the cradle of his blades, sending more tremors down his arms and making him grit his teeth. "You've threatened my family for the last time, 'master' airbender." Tarrin narrowed his eyes as he stared into the grey ones inside the hood.

The full smirk on Telei, half-hidden in shadow underneath the hood, made him pause. The old man's eyes were elsewhere as a crackling sound like that made by a Equalist discharger glove made him freeze. A brilliant blue light shone in his eyes and illuminated the surrounding area, being reflected in the constant downpour and giving each raindrop the appearance of a drop of liquid light.

The source was in Tai's hand, a wild nucleus of crackling energy completely suffused his brother's hand, bathing the boy's pained expression and gritted teeth in harsh blue light as he charged on a straight course for Telei.

"Am I?" His brother's blood curdling yell rose above the roaring winds and the downpour, looking more and more like a dark shadow encased by a bright brilliant field of crackling blue, little sparks of electricity arcing between the steamy rain drops being left in the wake of his thunderous charge.

Telei, calm in the face of the moving lightning storm walked at a brisk pace, facing it head-on with his sword's blade catching the light brilliantly. He slowly lifted his arm up, extending the tip in front of him.

Tarrin closed his eyes. And nodded.

Brilliant blue brilliance danced around him and enveloped him. It _hurt_.

He knew something was off with the flow of chi going down each arm, it made him feel sick at first but now it became a dull throbbing sensation pooled at his connected palms and fingers. Whatever the reason he simply couldn't open the path for the lightning to rush out of. So he settled for the next best thing.

Telei.  
The thought of him attacking his brother fueled his charge, fueled his rage, his hate, his fear of the man, and burned away any and all doubt leaving nothing but cold _brilliant_ rage and anger. A serene anger that gave him peace of mind at long last.

Every inch of his skin tingled with a funny sensation, and all he saw in his vision was brilliant burning blue and the man he was about to put a _end_ to.

He would do this. There was nothing else he could do. He wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough, had never come close to beating him any other way. He would do this to save his brother. To stop anyone else getting hurt because they protected him. To protect his new family and to protect Korra.

As he rocketed forwards, he held his hand out in front of him, fingertips aimed straight and unerring, all his fury, his want for this to _end_, would go into this blow. Unblinking and focused, he drove the blade's tip forward, straight through the fabric of the man's hoo-

His lightning reflected on the tip of Telei's sword, rushing closer and closer and with nowhere to turn or even change his course it would- his eyes widened reflexively but he didn't care. He wasn't going to let it stop him-

He heard it go through flesh, but he was so numb he wasn't sure where on him it had-

A blur appeared in front of him as the blue brilliance faded slightly, and he felt the barest brush against his hands register through the numb sensation. His lightning sparked and sputtered as Tarrin glanced towards him, his eyes holding a apologetic look to them. "S-sorry, little brother..." those words barely managed to reach his ears, but he heard them.

The click of Tarrin's discharger glove sounded and it gave off a humming noise. Tai felt it pull the unstable energy out of his hand and arm, watched as the core grew progressively brighter and brighter as the brilliant blue brilliance around him faded and died, leaving the dark murky surroundings of the ruins and rain to appear once more. Tai couldn't help his eyes flicking down, seeing the blood-streaked tip of a sword poking just out of Tarrin midway up his back.

"Bro, wha-" Tai couldn't, wouldn't believe what had just happened. He refused to. The core squealed as smoke curled from the discharger glove. Tarrin depressed something against his chest, and before Tai could say anything he was shunted through the air away from Telei and Tarrin.

He tumbled through the muddy grass and stones for a great distance, the rain beating him down and stopping him from getting up and going to _help him_. But no matter what he tried he couldn't will his legs to work.

As he laid on his side, breathing heavily as he watched his brother with one wide eye, he wished he was still numb.

A brilliant blue expanse of crackling energy birthed into existence around him, completely hiding Tarrin and Telei from view as his vision fluttered and dimmed. His thoughts slowed to a crawl, and he could hear his own breath in his ears. And he saw _red_.

* * *

_Underneath Central Terminal, Republic City._

Iroh stopped in mid-creep just before the next pipe with a scowl on his features. Heaving a sigh he looked back of his shoulder at Verick, just as the inventor sent a dinged-up metal bucket rolling across the floor, sending a violent cacophony of noise reverberating in the dark and steamy tunnel around them. "Could you be any louder?"

"Third time's the charm. No more buckets." He hissed, pressing his back up against the wet surface of the pipe with a grimace.

"Be more careful." Iroh looked down a nearby tunnel, hearing a voice amidst the roaring of a crowd echoing down its length to them. "This way. Sounds like a gathering of some kind." He made every step he took wouldn't create too much noise as he crept into the tunnel, lighting the immediate floor and walls around them with a single flame projected from his index finger.

He could barely hear Verick's breathing behind him, and was a little impressed that the inventor appeared to know a few tricks about sneaking around. He narrowed his eyes when the tunnel ended, feeding into a large and dark space that yawned upwards and outwards ahead of him. He grimaced as he crept forwards, seeing the dark outline of a rail against the stark relief of floodlights spilling their brilliance on a large crowd below them.

Verick stopped and had his back to the rail for a moment, before peering over it down at the gathered crowd. "That's a lot of them." he muttered to himself.

Iroh nodded, his eyes narrowing as they fell upon the portly man wearing the black trenchcoat as he orated to the crowd. After a few seconds he realised who that was. "Hiroshi?"

"You- wait - huh?" Verick followed Iroh's gaze, spotting him as well. "This isn't good." He continued looking down, running his eyes along the crowd and spotting chi blockers standing guard at several points. Even from this high up he could easily see their ghostly green lenses. His eyes continued scanning the crowd before going back to Hiroshi's position on the walkway until they found someone standing by his side with long and perfect dark hair. "Asami's standing next to him. She's holding onto some sorta case."

Iroh's eyes widened." Whats she- what?" he said in surprise, completely ignoring the last part of what Verick said and only focusing on the first, wishing desperately that it wasn't the case, that it wasn't her standing there by the madman's side. His shoulders dropped in defeat when he confirmed it on sight of her light green eyes and her distinctive hair. His mind immediately turned to questions, aimed at what kind of coercion Hiroshi must have used on her.

Verick nudged him in the side, pointing at the section of the large space hidden behind the walkway Asami and her father stood on, completely swathed in pitch blackness except for barely noticeable smears of sickly yellow light. Iroh's vision adjust and several giant humanoid shapes could be seen in the darkness as fuzzy outlines.

Below, Hiroshi's voice boomed throughout the space as it carried up to them, the words Iroh couldn't make out. As the portly man gestured wildly to the crowd's increasing excitement, a hum started somewhere in the dark depths below Iroh and Verick, and the two of them stiffened as strips of lighting activated in the dark space holding the strange shapes, coming on in sequence before meeting as a completed square and lighting up the mecha tanks from below.

There were _dozens of them_. "Ah, this is not good." Verick whispered, more to himself then Iroh as he noticed that each tank had a smoother and rounded chassis than the ones Asami had given to him to tinker with, and no wires, cables or pistons were exposed on them anymore, as a completely smooth and uniform shell contained each one. He knew the designs from somewhere... the documents the equalist guy had given them back in the South Pole. These were _Asami's improvements on them_. "Iroh..." he glanced at the young general, only to see that his normally stoic features were stricken with shock... "What do we do? How do we get to Asami-" Verick hissed as he nudged him into action.

Iroh's head quickly got into gear, working hard to override the shock in his system at the the mecha tanks as he began scanning the dark space, focusing on ways in and out of the room. He looked up, noticing that the crowd murmured among themselves after something Hiroshi had just said.

He watched as the crowd suddenly parted down the middle, all just to allow for two people away from the the rally. "Hey, they're letting her go?" he heard Verick say with no small surprise.

Iroh narrowed his eyes at the sight of the person following. "Not without an escort." he took his eyes off them for the moment, searching the path ahead of them to find a train track with a small tram on it, and a pair of chi-blockers conversing nearby. He clenched and unclenched his fist. "Let's go."

* * *

_Shōu K__ǒ__u General Hospital, Room 36._

Jinora flipped the page in her book, scanning the words as she usually did and taking it all in, absorbing it and trying to place herself in the place they described. She shifted around a little, her legs dangling off the side of the bed she sat on. She had the book in her lap, using one hand to flip the pages while the other sat on top of her father's palm.

She turned her head, a quiet breath escaping her before she looked back down at her back. In front of her sitting one of the chairs lining the wall, Ikki was silent, glancing up at her bigger sister every once in a while with the same questioning expression she had used every other time during their visits.

Behind them on the other side of the room, Meelo murmured in his sleep, his head resting on Lin's lap. Her eyes were closed and her head tipped back as she slept as well.

Jinora went to go back to her book, to escape back into the happy world of Shiye and her beloved Ping when there was a soft knock on the door leading out into the hallway.

Ikki hopped off the seat immediately, looking at Tenzin before walking past the bed and over to the door. She reached up to the handle and pulled it open with a grunt. Bumi stood there, fist raised to knock with Kya standing next to him. He looked down and saw her. Without needing a invitation he stepped into the room, kneeling down and picking up Ikki to rest on his shoulder. He smiled at her as he walked over to the foot of the bed.

Kya rubbed Ikki's shoulder as she moved past, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Jinora. "Still reading about those two, huh? You usually read quickly." Kya said quietly, leaning a little to look at the book.

Jinora flipped the page again, and nodded. "I like to get lost in their story." the girl whispered, glancing at her father..

"Yes-" Kya stopped herself when she hear movement behind them, turning to see Bumi squatting down in front of Lin's seat, pointing at her and getting a giggle out of Ikki. Kya smiled and looked back at Jinora. "I can understand why." She blinked after hearing a sniff from the girl. Kya nodded and laid a hand on Jinora's shoulder.

Jinora closed the book and placed it near Tenzin's hand, bowing her head and leaning in towards Kya. Her aunt didn't say anything, only keeping a arm around her as she felt tears stinging at her vision. "Will he ever...?"

Kya shushed her, stroking the twelve-year old's hair. "Of course he will. I'll teach him a lesson if he doesn't."

The little girl nodded, squeezing Tenzin's hand as she tried to believe in what Kya was saying.

She felt a squeeze in return. And she opened her eyes. With a sniff she glanced down at Tenzin's hand, seeing that it was moving slightly inside her grip. "Dad?" she whispered.

Kya turned too, and watched as Tenzin slowly opened his eyes. "Hello- everyone." he croaked out.

The bed's sheets shifted minutely as Jinora hopped onto the floor, her book abandoned and hand still holding onto Tenzin's as she stopped by his side and looked at him.

From the other side of the room, Bumi grunted as Ikki squirmed out of his arms and raced onto the bed, lunging towards her father and landing on his chest. Tenzin wheezed, a tired smile on him as the little girl laughed with joy.

Her loudness made Lin wake with a start, the older woman sitting up straight as Meelo yawned and stretched, rubbing his eyes before staring in disbelief at Tenzin. She smiled at him as she stood up, supporting Meelo as she walked across and placed him down on the bed, then moved to stand by his side.

The door opened again as Pema stepped through, Rohan holding onto her shoulder. She froze for a few seconds and stared, before she gasped. "Honey." she whispered, moving across the room as quickly as possible to see him.

Kya stepped out of the way, moving around the other side of the bed to join Bumi.

"You're all okay..." Tenzin breathed a sigh of relief, feeling pain throughout his chest and lungs. He looked at all of his children, his wife, at Lin and his brother and sister with a smile.

But as he looked around the room he noticed that someone wasn't there. "Where is Korra?"

Bumi looked up to see movement in the hallway through the room's window. He arched a eyebrow as Bolin hobbled towards the door, supported by his brother. Bolin poked his head in. "Hey, we need to tell you guys-" his voice dropped away when he spotted Tenzin. "-something..."

Mako helped him further in, and the two of them stopped before everyone. "Korra's gone missing. She's not on the island."

* * *

_Central United Republic_.

A rumble shook through the Sky Bison's frame underneath her, shaking the saddle around and making Korra press her back even more against the leathery rim then Korra already was. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a sea of dark green shooting by below them, having run unbroken for what seemed like hours to her.

She rubbed her shoulder where a itch developed, fingertips brushing against a thin black scar for a moment before running onto her back and accidentally aggravating the bruises there. Korra's breath caught, but not from the sharp lance of pain they gave her, but from the feeling of being trapped against the wooden doorframe by him. The electrifying spark that rushed through her- The girl narrowed her eyes and dismissed the memory as best she could.

"Sorry about that! Heimeng really doesn't like storms!" Talisa's voice cut through the keening winds surrounding them on their flight.

Korra barely looked up from her study of the numerous scratches and gouges on the saddle's leather surface.

She had her arms wrapped around her, knowing the only comfort it seemed to bring was a little bit of warmth but wishing that it would stop her doubts from growing any further. Tried the same trick growing up in the compound whenever instructors or training got the best of her. And always being fixed with a few of Katara's warm words.

More than ever she wished she was here beside her, always ready to support her or comfort her with words of advice.

But she wasn't. Instead a total stranger was.

Her hair was a complete and utter mess as the wind whipped it about, easily able to buffet it and further entangle the long and twisted mess, which Korra had only ever been able to tame by forcing it into a wolf's tail. The wind blew one of these strands into her mouth, and she spat it out, working her mouth around.

She noticed that the wind's speed had started to drop down, its keening going lower with it. She looked around at the same dark grey clouds around them as before, before seeing that Talisa had taken one hand off the reins in order to manipulate the winds.

The woman's long hair, reaching down to the small of her back, shifted a little as she turned to look over her shoulder at Korra. "Check in the sealskin satchel. I've got something to fix your hair up." The woman offered a tight smile before turning back to guiding Heimeng.

Flicking the rebellious strand of hair over her ear she stood up, going slowly to keep her balance on the shifting saddle until she reached the front section, spotting a grey satchel strung up on the saddle's rim. The lip of the satchel had saber-wolf fangs stuck and sewn throughout it, she glanced at the woman in air nomad robes, guessing she must have got the saddlebag as a gift from someone in the water tribe.

Turning her attention back to the satchel she unlooped the catch from a metal hook on the front, flipping the lip up and rummaging through the tangle of items within. Her fingers closed around what felt like a handle and she drew her arm out, holding onto a bleached bone widening out into a disk at the top, flowing curves and twists carved their way through it's surface.

She touched the sharp nest of bristles sticking out from the disk, remembering the whalebone brush her mother used to brush her hair as a kid. This one looked exactly like it. "Where did you get this?"

"A old friend and her husband from the Southern Water Tribe."

Korra nodded, putting her questions aside as she ran her fingers through her hair, untangling as much as she could before running the brush through the tangled length. She stared downwards the entire time, silent as she held her hair up and ran the brush through it.

"How's he been?" Talisa asked, her voice going quiet, mainly in apprehension of getting from Korra what she deserved. "Has he told you about me?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Talisa twisted around. "What about Tarrin? Last I heard he was Noatok's- I mean, _Amon's_ apprentice or-"

Korra nodded to herself and rubbed a scar on her shoulder, small compared to the larger blacker one next to it. "He was. Nearly killed me and Tai."

"What?" Talisa whispered, knowing that from her observations that Tarrin had been influenced by what Noatok had become, but not so much that he would-

"That was eight months ago. He's changed." Korra finished brushing her hair, placing the brush back in the satchel. She wrapped her arms around herself and drew her knees up close to her chest as she leaned against the saddle rim.

Her eyes narrowed as she wondered why she had chosen now of all times to show up? Where was she during the Agni Kai attack? Where was she when Tenzin was hospitalized? If she was Tai's _mother,_ she had a lot of explaining to do.

"You've probably got questions."

"Where have you _been?_ You're his _mother_. Mothers are supposed to protect their children!" Korra gritted her teeth, realizing that through all of Tai's talks about what happened to his home, he had never even once discussed what happened to his mother.

"Korra-"

"Who is Telei?"

The avatar's voice, cold and controlled, stopped her. Talisa bowed her head. "He's- he's a bad memory. Someone I never expected to see again after Aang and his friends defeated him." Her hands tightened on the reins. "Both he and Tenzin were my masters."

The wind picked up around them as Talisa nodded and snapped the reins, prompting Heimeng to fly faster. "I desperately wanted to visit Tai. I really did. But doing so would put him in danger on so many _levels_ that I would never forgive myself. Of course that all flew out of the window when I heard of-" Her voice dropped away as she faced the fact that the man she owed everything to was badly hurt. Talisa fell silent, the only sound coming from her the grinding of her teeth.

"Katara sent me to watch over his family and you as well." She finally said, locking her gaze on the dark stormy clouds ahead and the thick hazy appearance of heavy rain being seen from a great distance. "And to make Telei pay for his crimes."

* * *

土


	33. Shattered Earth

土

* * *

_Underneath Central Terminal, Republic City._

Had it been hours? It had felt like hours. Or maybe it hadn't even been half that. She had no idea. One minute she was in the crowd, surrounded on all sides by the very people she had taken a side against, the ones making everything worse for non-benders. The so called 'Equalists'.

And now to discover that her father was now leading them? And his mecha-tanks were still in force and chi-blockers still ready to strike at a moment's notice? It was too much, it was_just_ too mu-

She bit her lip more forcefully then she realized, and put a finger to her mouth only to see a small smear of blood on her index fingertip.

"We're here, ms Sato." The Lieutenant's gravelly tones startled her along with a knock on the cabin wall. In the almost completely blackened cabin of the trolley she looked through one of the wall cutouts as the warm lights of the tram platform chased away the complete darkness of the tunnels, settling into place as the tram's wheels began grinding to a halt.

In the darkness of the cabin she brushed her hand against the black leather case father had given to her, her fingers hovering over the handle in hesitation before she picked it up and stood up straight, steeling herself as the lieutenant opened the door for her to step out through. She had to get home, she needed to think, to make a plan. She couldn't afford to break down _now_.

He stepped aside as she ducked her head underneath the cabin's low doorframe and came out on the tram's tray, seeing it was at a complete standstill next to the well-lit platform. She waited patiently until he undid the latch on the side-wall, holding the door open for her to step off the tram.

Asami crossed over, her eyes downcast and her hands holding onto the case. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

"For what it's worth, ms Sato... I'm sorry for bringing you to see him. It must have been a shock." The lieutenant watched the girl, seeing nothing but a scared child standing there, thrust into events beyond her control. He could relate.

"I had to know after seeing his handwriting." she said, no warmth or color in the way she spoke. "Why did he let me leave like that?"

"You're his daughter. He's doing this for you." The lieutenant turned and closed the tram door behind him, separating the two of them. He stopped and looked over his shoulder as he adjusted his hat. "Come with me, I'll escort you back outsi-"

The lieutenant muttered a swear and ducked for cover in time for a blazing orange fireball to swoosh by overhead. A black kali stick dropped from his sleeve and he vaulted over the metal sidewall, tucking into a roll as a kick of fire swept towards him. He grunted and twisted out of its path, taking cover behind the end of a long bench running along most of the platform.

Her boots echoed as she ran for cover towards a series of thick square columns placed at regular spacing across the platform. She passed in between two of them, quickly stopping in the middle of a gap between two of them and staying still.

"Asami!" Iroh's voice managed to cut through the haze of fear and doubt threatening the wrench her down. Over his voice the whooshing of Iroh's fireballs and sweeps blistering through the air easily dominated, impacting all over the space around her as the lieutenant dodged and weaved around them in a dizzying pattern, easily dodging the intense general's unusually sloppy attacks. She peered around the column, seeing his shadow flit past its side as he maneuvered towards him. Iroh's frenzied yells reached her like hammer blows, and in that moment she didn't see the calm and collected golden eyes of the handsome fire nation prince looking at her, only eyes of _predatory_ gold, _staring_.

Every other attempt at keeping a cool head had failed, so Iroh threw all of that out of the window as he furiously swept, jabbed and kicked at the Equalist, long dormant memories of his ship drowning and breaking apart under the weight of Equalist bombs, the men and women under his command and _protection_ being scattered to the four winds, some of them _still missing_.

Her hands desperately scrabbled across the case's surface her fingers scraping against the metal before managing to find the latches easily. She tore open the case, plunging her hand in and feeling the cold metal of the 'gift' and dragging it out into the light. It felt heavy in her hands, and her breathing continued to frenzy as she heard a final whoosh of flames, and then silence.

Footsteps cut through the silence before long, and she held her father's gift close, closing her eyes and mentally counting to three as the tip of a black boot slithered from the corner-

A frightened gasp came out of her as she whipped the invention up, pointing it straight at the predatory eyes that had haunting her for so long-

"Asami. Its just me, Its Iroh." Iroh had stopped dead still, holding his hands up and keeping his unwavering gaze on the terrified girl.

The deep rich obsidian color of the metal alloy easily caught the light on its highly reflective surface, gaining a visible shine on the top of the object's long front section. She stared at the brass cog symbol embedded into the polished wooden handle, extremely smooth to the touch. "Where is he?" she managed to whisper.

"He got away." Iroh leveled a firm look at her as he indicated the dark yawning tunnel running alongside their platform. "Asami, those people back there, your father he was-"

"Yes, _general_," Listening to him adopt the tone of someone speaking to a ignorant child spurred her to adopt a cold tone. "I _know_." Immediately seeing the look on Iroh made her regret reverting like that. She looked downwards, letting her hair cascade to form a physical barrier between her and the world like it had done many times for her. "Sorry. You didn't deserve that."

A short laugh came from Iroh, surprising her. "As a high-ranking office of the United Forces, I'm going to agree with you on that." and just like that, the predatory gleam she had seen before disappeared, and his eyes looked like his own again. He extended his hand to her. "Ms Sato, if I may?"

"You may." she whispered, unsure she could speak any louder as she accepted his hand. Her thoughts continued to spin even as he pulled her up, still trying to process what she had seen in that dark place.

Iroh dipped his chin and nodded at the strange object in her hands. "What is that?"

Asami clenched her fists as she looked away from him. "I... don't know." her analytic side whirred into gear, cutting through the doubt and conflicting thoughts to examine the intricate, and _sublime_, she hated to admit, work of machinery in her hand. Before... when she had pointed it at Iroh, noticing that the long cylinder seamlessly connected to the bulk of the object mimicked the large firebender turrets on battleships like Iroh's... but judging from the cylindrical slots arranged in a ring in the main body of the object, which even had a hinge letting it swing out on its own, it looked like it loaded actual projectiles of some kind.

Something that a non-bender could use to defend themselves from firebenders or earthbenders with ease.

"Whatever it is... its just the beginning of what my father is planning." she whispered.

* * *

_Tiān Shàng plateau, Central United Republic._

"Tarrin!"

Tai was up and running across the rain-streaked and muddy stones, slipping several times as his vision bobbed up and down wildly, his breath came out in desperate fits, and his thoughts all screamed to a halt and pointed in one direction and one purpose only.

Not once did he tear his eyes away from his older brother lying on his side in the mud and his chest barely rising or falling. He had no idea how long he had been out from that fall, only that there could be still be time for him to do _something_.

He stole a quick glance at his longcoat, and made the decision in a heartbeat to tear it off, he gritted his teeth in desperation as it kept getting caught by his sword and sheath. With a growl he projected a thin blade of wind from his hand and sliced the smooth brown leather strap clean in two, letting him strip off the longcoat and allowing the rain to hit his bare forearms and soak through the simply grey t-shirt underneath. "Come one damn it," he expelled a sharp breath as he pressed the sloppily folded coat down on the frighteningly large patch of red blooming across his lower chest. ", you can't do this to me, you can't - you can't - you can't." he continued to repeat, his eyes wide and his breathing growing heavy and frantic again as he tried, failed to spot any movement coming from Tarrin.

Running a desperate hand down his face his thoughts continued to tumble over each over in a endless loop. This wasn't right, this wasn't right and it was all his-

He looked up in time to see a spiralling mass of turgid wind bearing down on him, leaving him no room to dodge or even move out of harm's way. It slammed into him, drilling into his stomach and forcing his mouth open with a choking gasp as it lifted him up in the air like he weighed nothing at all. The wind generated by it violently tore at his still brother but couldn't move him, instead managing to slide his abandoned sword and sheath out of reach. The boy tried his hardest to recollect his thoughts, to remember anything that could help him best Telei or-

_Telei_.

His eyes narrowed as nothing but rage filled him and the roaring of the wind-spear died down to nothing but a murmur in his ears, even the constant burning sensation it had drilling into his stomach drained away with a numb sensation replacing it. With a hoarse yell he plunged his hand into the core of the wind-spear, ignoring the pins and needles picking his skin as he forced the wind to bend to his will.

In seconds the spiralling mass coiled and writhed as it collected in the palm of his hand as a rough fast-spinning sphere. He outstretched his hand towards the approaching Telei as gravity grabbed him and pulled him back to earth. His teeth gritted and a wild look in his eyes as he barreled through the stinging rain, the mass in his hand now a violent whirling mass only just barely contained.

The old man looked up with a cold light in his eyes and his wizened face a mask of contempt, coming to a stop below him.  
Inside Tai screamed and raged at Telei as he came into arms reach, the boy pushed forwards when the time came, only for Telei to hop back a step in the blink of an eye, letting the ground take the hit instead. As soon as the sphere made contact with the mud and ground the maelstrom inside broke free, the sudden force of the winds slamming into the boy all at once and bowling him over as the ground below it cracked and broke apart underneath the enormous stress, all while the maelstrom continued to billow and rage and _consume_, until with a final anticlimactic whisper it faded away.

Telei narrowed his eyes, searching the ground where the boy had been thrown to but finding no-one there-

He spotted a shadow in the corner of his eye, looking down in time to see a furiously spinning sphere of wind with a flickering flame contained within being shoved up towards him. Telei threw himself backwards again, and briefly his eyes widened in surprise as the sphere detonated, as a wave of fiery punches slammed into him all at once, blowing the airbender master off his feet and away from Tai, slamming into the ground several times with bone-crunching speed until coming to a rest at the other side of the open space.

The boy scrambled to his feet, shoulders heaving as he took deep heavy breaths, wisps of steam rising up from his arms. The old man stirred, slowly moving a arm. Growling and seething Tai extended his sword arm to the side and splayed his palm open, manipulating the air currents to pull the blade into his grasp, his fingers tightened around the black leather handle, smudges of dirt and mud getting on them. The rain had matted down his hair completely by now, making the boy stare through a thick fringe of sopping black hair at his enemy.

Running forwards he summoned a tightly controlled ball of fire in his free hand, springing into a lunge with the flame leading the way, his sights completely fixed on Telei with intent to_burn him out of existence_.

A raw shout tore out of his lungs as he thrusted his palm forwards, making the flame spasm for a moment before it billowed forth into a expanding stream of burning flame, as wide as a satomobile as it covered the ground below with a bright warm glow, highlighting the folds in the seemingly injured old man's thick robes as it prepared to hungrily devour him.

Tai's view of everything was consumed by fire, the light from it dancing in his eyes as barely coherent thoughts whirled and danced, all focused on the sensation of freedom and resolution from doing this one simple act, he could save his brother, he could finally put everything behind him and look to the future-

Grey eyes flashed through the flames, staring straight into him with unerring force. The maelstrom of fire began to churn and roil until Tai lost the strength to control it. Just like that like someone had removed a drain plug the flames flickered briefly before snuffing out entirely, leaving smoke and steam behind, which settled as thin carpet over burning grass, melted stone and hardbaked mud.

The boy's surroundings darkened to its natural state, and the rain continued to pour heavier than ever as his own breath rushed out of his lungs, forcing choking gasps on him as he tumbled to the ground, hands scrabbling at his throat.

A invisible pressure wrapped around his throat, constricting with enough to keep him gasping for air. His vision dimmed and flickered as his feet left the ground entirely, Telei barely had his hand lifted as he stared into the boy's wide eyes. "Emotion will get you nothing but the grave, student."

A ragged drawn-out gasp tore out from Tai as his throat constricted again, and he no longer had it in him to keep his eyes open. Slowly he began moving through the air, suspended upright by Telei and being brought towards the base of the steps leading to the spire.

Telei's footsteps were all he could hear apart from his own ragged breaths as the first few steps passed by below him. He tried to concentrate, trying to remember some airbending trick or loophole he could exploit to take down Telei. But his thoughts were half-formed. Incoherent gibberish amidst the few smoldering embers of anger and rage still circulating around. No matter what he tried he couldn't draw on those dark thoughts as some kind of strength, couldn't even hold onto them long enough before they slipped away beneath the miasma of half-consciousness.

Something began to burn, sending lances of pain throughout his body and managing to jolt his thoughts into action again, he bit down on a groan, fighting the urge to clamp a hand down on his shoulder where Telei had cut him at the South Pole. He gritted his teeth as it mounted and mounted. "Why haven't you killed me yet?" he managed to say through his coughing and gasping.

"I still require you."

His vision pounded and blackened as he reached the top of the steps, now floating in place before the spire entrance. He watched as Telei moved ahead a little before stopping, the boy seeing that his own sword was sheathed and instead he held Tai's, looking it over closely. Telei glanced back at the struggling boy before continuing into the spire's main entrance, the stone doors once standing there having collapsed into thick piles of plant-choked rubble long ago.

Tai's world darkened as he floated into the spire, seeing that a single unbroken room seemed to reach up the entire height if the spire, making it completely hollow. The space ahead had no light-source to light it by.

Suddenly the pressure surrounding him and keeping him up vanished with the sound of fading breeze, and the boy tumbled to the floor, his hands immediately scrabbling for any purchase in the stones to get some distance between him and the old man. Stars exploded in his vision as Telei leashed a vicious kick into his side, downing him again as dark whispers began speaking in his thoughts.

He froze, his own desperate breathing almost forgotten as the whispers mounted and grew louder, culminating in a near-chorus of harsh noises and distorted voices shaking with rage as they spoke. His eyes widened at the appearance of two ghostly eyes not too far away, glowing a burning yellow as they stared straight at him with a hint of what should have been _amusement_-

The eyes disappeared and the whispers quietened, but never went away. They stayed in his ears, in his head, in his _thoughts_, a constant undercurrent that easily stopped any attempt by him to concentrate and focus. His mouth went dry as his shoulder started burning, intensifying into the worst it had felt since he had gotten the cut.

Tai answered with a growl, his eyelids starting to droop as he weakly held a hand over his shoulder, lying on his side and just focusing on trying to breath. A shadow grew over him as something was ripped away from his waist. His vision cleared up for only a second when he saw the flash of his bright orange scarf, trailing in the air for a brief moment before falling limp in Telei's hand as he examined it.

"Loose fitting. Simple to grasp. Long length. I taught you better in choosing appropriate wear for battle, student." Telei leveled a look down at the boy, and the boy responded by opening his eyes as best he could and glaring back, a burning fire in his light grey eyes.

He managed a easy smirk, fighting through the whispers long enough to look back at him. "What can- what can I say? Korra's got a nice eye for colori-." He began to cough and sputter, cutting his sentence short.

His old master nodded as he held the scarf loosely, letting it lift off his hand with a push of air and back into the boy's grasp. "A keepsake then?" Telei's eyes narrowed as his open palm closed into a fist, and the boy gritted his teeth as he lifted into the air, hanging there as the pain came back. "How thoughtless." Tai didn't yell as he tumbled through the air this time, being sent over the crumbling baulstrade lining the twin ramps curving down to the bottom of the room. A almighty crack ran through his entire body when the opposite wall rushed to meet him, the boy catching a split-second glimpse of a wolf-carving before stars exploded and he crashed to the floor, his breath gone and entire body shaking as he curled into a ball, instinct taking over.

A unseen force dragged him away from the wall and into the center of the room, accompanied by steps sharply ringing around the curved walls. Tai could hardly think let alone move a muscle as he was forced into a rough kneeling position. All he could do was open his eyes, every detail swimming apart from the immediate stones around him highlighted by moonlight from above, and the wall in front of him.

With deliberate slowness Telei moved into view, stopping a bit to the side of the mosaic as he ran a hand over its surface. "Who are they, student?" his voice dominated the chamber, echoing slightly.

"N-no-" Tai growled as the whispers grew louder, more intense, feeling his own thoughts slipping away into what he could only describe as black thickness.

Telei's voice thundered in his head. _SPEAK_. _ANSWER ME NOW_.

Something compelled him to speak, promising him great pain if he didn't. "Air Nomads, from the Temple they-" he hissed, almost laughing hysterically as the pain in his skull intensified and his shoulder burned, so constantly that he almost couldn't feel it.

"No. They are not Air Nomads. Just Air _Benders._" Telei said, almost with a growl that could have just been Tai's imagination. "This wall shows them entering the spirit world." He moved in front of another section of the wall close to the edge, looking at a stylized wolf sitting upright next to the Airbenders. "My first thought was to enter as they had, using a Spirit-Wolf or other similar creature to gain entry and ensure I would not be lost upon arrival. However it seems their abilities have been greatly exaggerated. That mutt you've adopted was no use to me."

A low growl came out of Tai despite the pain and despite the thoughts that had been his but no longer were.

"I travelled far and wide looking for new ways to the other side. I visited the Northern Water Tribe's sacred oasis in their ruined shield-city, I ventured beneath the city of Oma and Shu to creep through the old haunts of the Earth Shaman's, and I explored the Sun Warrior's hiding place to seek out their 'firebending masters', but all for naught. I found nothing. For _years_ I found _nothing_." He moved again, coming across a carving of a vague person shape, wavy and indistinct compared to the ones of the monks. "So I made deals with bloodbenders and came to the South Pole. I visited a second oasis, deep in the ice, encountered the spirit who lived there. The Dark Spirit."

The darkness of the cave haunted Tai's mind. The glowing yellow eyes burning into his psyche just like they did before.

"It told me that the Avatar would show the way." Telei had his hands clasped behind his back as he glanced down at the trapped boy. "That girl is the single most powerful creature in this world and the next. With her power I can cross over to the Spirit World, and get my satisfaction."

Tai managed a thought. "And what's that?" he whispered, his voice hoarse and heavy. He saw the old man's eyes light up and his features change almost instantly.

"Koh." Telei breathed. "It is _Koh _that I seek put a end to."

"W-what?" he whispered, remembering vague details of bedtime stories mom used to tell him and Tarrin used to scare him with, picturing the gigantic black centipede that wore the faces of those who dared show emotion in its presence. He wanted to kill _that thing? "_That's impossible-"

"No it isn't, you should know better. Nothing is impossible. Zhao of the Fire Nation killed the moon spirit. Why can I not do the same? That spirit has been around for long enough, student."

"But its a _spirit_, it has a place in the world you can't just-" Tai's thoughts slowed as he felt the blackness tighten constricting, watching the look in Telei's eye darken.

"Yes I can. Its only place in the world is to take families and cause suffering. I aim to end that." the old man's voice had dropped to a low whisper, and Tai realized this was the first time he had actually sounded like his age. "That wound I gave you had a purpose, everything I have done to you had a purposeIt's been proven that people marked by the spirit world can enter without being... changed. Your father had been marked as well."

A lightning bolt shot through the boy, briefly breaking the black's hold on him.

"Your little village had been built over a network of chambers and tunnels built by my people long ago. I was there during its destruction... Koh was as well." Telei's eyes narrowed as Tai's thoughts whirled and screamed, bringing him flashes of burning wood and screams coming from the distance, hounding a eleven year-old still half-asleep as he blindly ran out into the smoke outside, unable to see anything at all except four slits of burning orange hovering in the smoke by themselves. Was that thing- "Koh was in the midst of possessing your father, boy. I did him a favor. But Koh escaped."

Tai's thoughts caught _ablaze_. Even with his shoulder burning like no tomorrow the boy managed to struggle to his feet in the time Telei had been spouting his nonsense about killing a spirit as old as the world itself, thoughts turning to his brother as he managed to find his flow of energy, ad prepared to reach into it and-

His shallow breaths caught when he noticed Telei turning over his mother's sword. "This blade was hers. Yet you carry it." The old man glanced at the boy. "I had thought that you would have given up by now."

" until you answer for killing _him._" Tai gritted his teeth, swallowing as he notice sparks sputtering in between his fingers. It would need to be enough- the air shimmered as he registered a quick flash, and his breath caught again. His eyes widened at the feeling of cold fingers seeping through him, stemming from the cold blade biting through his hip all the way through. He saw blood. His blood.

"You're a waste of time and expenditure, student. You may have had a purpose when you first came to me all those years ago, but the Avatar will serve my needs far more greatly then you ever could." Telei looked him straight in the eye. "Rest with the wind."

A great pressure pressed against his chest, and Tai's vision went dark. And he felt cold. Too cold.

* * *

Ling wiped a sleeve across his mouth, breathing heavily as he watched the man crumple with a sigh, a dart with green feathers sticking out of his neck. "Sorry about that. I know he's forcing you guys to do this." he muttered, looking around himself at the battered and bruised bodies of the Dai Li agents around him. About twelve all up. All of them unconscious.

He looked up, seeing that the airship had moved from the top of the spire to the edge of the cliffs on the other side of the plateau, that wasn't good. He turned around, keeping a hand on his injured shoulder as he jogged across the open space back into the forest. He grimaced, realizing that the droning beats of the airship's propellers were speeding up, driving him to run as fast as he could before it could take off and leave the plateau.

The earthbender grimaced as the tree's started to grow thicker, forcing him to a halt as he gasped for breath and sweated like no tomorrow. To his surprise he watched as the airship's propellers sped up, barely able to see it floating above the thick treeline as it began to pick up speed and peel away from the plateau. He cursed as it leveled, staying close to the cliffs for now. He clutched his shoulder as he spotted a rocky outcropping near the treeline where they met the cliffs. A crazy idea entered his head. Risky, but he needed to catch up somehow.

Making his way through the tree's the black and green airship suddenly shuddered past, occupying the open air ahead. He grunted and broke into a sprint, going as fast as he could and keeping his rock-fist ready. He reached a outcropping of rock jutting out over the plateau's edge, making a fist and punching down just as he was about to tip off into open air.

A column of rock grew from under him, pushing him upwards and launching him into the air between the plateau and the departing airship. Rain stung his eyes as he kept them on the open bay doors at the airship's rear. He pointed his rock fists at it, and inhaled through his nose. The metal elements in his glove buzzed and tingled for a second before wrenching him towards the metal framework surrounding the bay door.

He grunted as his injured shoulder slammed into the metal first, gritting his teeth and ignoring the protesting muscles as he snaked a foot onto the edge of the loading bay ramp, making sure he had a sure footing before releasing the metal framing and stepping out onto the ramp.

"Agent. I recognized your handiwork concerning my men."

Ling's eyes adjusted to the dimly lit confines of the loading bay, picking out the tall gaunt figure of Director Kao just up ahead, standing at the top of the ramp with hands clasped behind his back. "They've got a long walk ahead of them, but they'll be fine. More then I can say for you if you don't tell me where my uncle is."

"You of all people should know that making demands in a position like yours is ill-advised. I know who you are, _Prince _Ling, and you will not stop the Dai Li from serving their king."

A smirked appeared on Ling as he chuckled. "Oh I know what your definition of serving is, Kao. You have my father wrapped around your finger and the kingdom is suffering because of it."

"So instead of staying to help him you ran away from Ba Sing Se?"

"Funny joke, Director." Ling said, his eyes narrowing. "You and your men didn't come to the Southern Air Temple just to capture little old me. You were there for something else. Something I needed."

"And it is something you won't ever have need of." Kao stated, a thin sliver of deep green crystal sliding out from his sleeve. "You're exhausted so this will be simple and quick."

Ling kept the smirk on. He needed to get out of here. He could come back for uncle. That was a promise. He expelled a short breath as he bowed to the director. "Until next time, Kao." without warning he pitched backwards into the whipping winds of the black sky, falling out of sight of the director.

Kao growled.

That was a close one. Even for him. Tarrin coughed once as his eyes fluttered open, staring up at the dark rain-streaked sky as he began breathing heavily, realizing his hand was holding onto something pressed over where waves of pain continued to flow from. He grunted as he managed a gargantuan effort to sit up, looking down and seeing a thick bundle of black fabric against his chest. A gasp escaped him as he felt the blood seeping out.

Swaying dangerously he struggled to keep his eyes open as he looked around, hand clutching onto the blood-soaked fabric. He saw Tai nearby, lying on his side, unmoving, looking so_small_ without father's longcoat covering him-

Tarrin stared down at the black coat he had pressed against his stomach. He looked back up at his little brother. "Hold on..." he whispered, reaching his other hand and grabbing the nearest gap in the weathered stones he could find and dragging himself forward. He grunted with the effort, already finding that whatever strength he had left him within seconds.

Still he soldiered on, keeping a hand clamped on his stomach as he pulled himself forward, doing his best to just keep his eyes on Tai. The sound of rushing wind made him look up, to see a vaguely human blur shoot out of the spire and into the dark sky.

Breathing heavily he kept dragging himself along the stones, feeling every scrape they gave him as a fiery yet numb sensation. Finally he reached Tai. He swallowed and shook his head as he caught the massive bruising obscuring his little brother's face, primarily covering his cheeks and forehead. Part of Tai's shirt had been lifted up, revealing his side and part of his stomach and the line of bruising and scratches dominating the pale skin. Tarrin frowned at the sound of quiet wheezing coming from his brother, before spotting the massive blue and black welt running across part of his upper chest to his side. A broken rib. Not good.

He got to his knees, finding it hard to concentrate as his head swam.

Even worse was the edge of a massive puncture wound almost hidden by his shirt. Gritting his teeth as he let go of the longcoat keeping his own wound covered, he grabbed his brother's shirt and rolled it upwards to uncover a bloody red tear, wide but shallow as blood seeped from it. Immediately Tarrin's hands went to his own pockets, rummaging through all of them in search for bandages or some kind of gauze he could use to stop the bleeding and dress the wound.

He soon found one such bandage. But only a single roll.

The swimming in his vision worsened, and his mouth tasted dry while he unrolled the bandage, stretching it out above Tai before pressing it down just past the wound. He grunted as he snaked a arm underneath his brother and lifted him up, holding onto his shoulder and keeping him still as he wound the banadage around with one hand, making sure not to slip.

He looked down when he realized the roll had run out, and tossed the useless plastic tube away. He clamped a hand to his stomach again, ignoring the pins and needles sensation he could now feel across his body as he stared down at his rough handiwork.

"Good..." Tarrin whispered, realizing he was getting drowsy. He nodded and leaned backwards, closing his eyes just for a bit.

"There! Right there! Land!"

The Sky Bison grunted as Talisa guided it to a stop on the edge of a wide open space, the soil completely liquefied into a muddy brown mess and pooled between the stones dotting the ground.

Korra grasped the side of the saddle, swinging herself over and blasting a wild burst of air behind herself to clear the Bison's flank, her boots landing with a squelch, immediately she flailed her arms for balance as she nearly slipped in the mud, but righted herself as she ran towards the two bodies lying on the ground up ahead, completely soaked to the bone as the rain mercilessly pounded the two of them.

She dropped to her knees when she got close enough, getting several scratches on her palms as the stones bit at them. He was lying on his side in front of her, bruises covering his face and his chest barely moving at all. Breathing frantically she picked at the cap on her hip flask, grunting impatiently when it wouldn't come off. Finally it did, the string snapping off with the force and the whalebone tooth bouncing away in the mud. She quickly drew out a ribbon of water, thinning it into a narrow razor-sharp jet and slicing through the bloodied and torn grey shirt, she brushed the folds out of the way, briefly feeling how cold and clammy his skin had become.

Distraught, she pushed her worst fears back and focused on assessing the damaging, trying to detach herself to avoid breaking down right there and then. Behind her Talisa came to a stop. "No..." the woman said in a whisper, bringing a chill down the Avatar's spine and threatening to shut her down.

"A-Avatar..." Korra looked up at the hoarse sound of the voice coming from somewhere to her side. She glanced over, eyes wide and shoulders heaving to see his older brother looking at her, a hand on his stomach and a strained look on his features as he swallowed. "I- I managed to stop his bleeding. Used up my-" he stopped, a groan escaping him. "-used up my last bandage though."

"Tarrin!" Talisa ran to her older son, dropping to her knees in front of him and already coming to a conclusion about his wounds that she _did not want_. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, tears starting to stream down her cheeks as memories of her mistakes came back. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so-"

"Mother. Its okay." Tarrin murmured. "I'll be fine. I'll be with father soon."

"Stop it-"

"I will be." Talisa's eyes were wide as she fell silent, unable to even start thinking like that. But looking at her older son, taking in the large scar on his face... she couldn't do anything herself. She resigned herself to giving a short nod.

"Korra..." he whispered.

Reluctantly Korra left Tai's side, thoughts occupied with medical techniques as she came over to Tarrin. She stared down at the equalist, remembering the rainy rooftop they first met, remembering the bite of his sword in his shoulder, and... remembering how much he had changed. "Yes?"

"Take care of him. That's all..." Tarrin closed his eyes, and Talisa began to cry, the airbender's shoulders heaving violently as Korra closed her eyes and turned away from the horrible sight to look at Tai.

She noticed a pair of burning yellow eyes hovering by themselves over Tai, staring straight at her before disappearing in the rain.

* * *

_Air Temple Island._

Rain patted down on the steps, each drop illuminated by the rising sun as everyone rushed as fast as they could, Mako and Bolin leading the way while Tenzin and his family followed up behind, all of them supporting their still-recovering father as best they could. Sensha and the twins followed up behind them, while Lin and Bumi shadowed Tenzin keeping a close eye on him.

Bolin pointed up above them as he and Mako came to a stop on the edge of the island's chief landing point for the Sky Bisons, watching as a grey shaggy haired Bison descended through the clouds and rain and came straight for them. The earthbender grinned ear-to-ear as he spotted the familiar blue-wearing avatar sitting in the saddle.

"Korra's back!" Ikki shouted, tugging on Tenzin's pants and pointing for him to see as well. Tenzin smiled at her, noticing that the grey shaggy-haired bison she was riding definitely was not from the herd living on Air Temple Island. His eyes widened in shock as the bison landed with a grunt at the sight of a woman with long brown hair looking straight at him, her eyes almost pleading.

"Talisa?" Pema whispered, clutching Rohan more tightly as Jinora glanced up at her with a curious look.

Bolin and Mako stopped and watched as Korra clambered down the bison's side, hugging herself with a unreadable expression. She made her way towards the two of them, looking at her boots the entire time.

Mako thought about reaching a hand forward to comfort her, to do something, when Bolin moved and wrapped her in a hug.

"Bolin." she whispered, burying her nose into his shoulder.

* * *

_Epilogue._

His heart raced and frantic breaths escaped him as he blindly wheeled around a corner and continued down the next dark tunnel, his boots echoing on its wet curved walls as they pounded down on the brick walkway hugging one side, with the water channel occupying the other. They were close, they had always been _close_ since he had managed to escape their warren.

A annoying thought tugged at him, telling him to go back and find Yureg but self-preservation had already decided for him. He would never come back if he did, and for what? Just because he had been semi-helpful during his time with the Monsoons, he would never go back there just to grab him, Yureg would understand-

A ice missile whipped past his ear, hitting a pipe up ahead and shattering into many fragments. "Found the shark-rat!" Tonrik's throaty tones echoed around him, spurring Tahno to run even faster as more and more ice missiles whipped by either side of him. He grunted as one caught him in the shoulder, spinning him about just as he neared the tunnel's exit, he stumbled, splashing around in the water and grimacing as it got into his mouth. He spat it out and continued running, clutching his shoulder as he glanced behind him and caught Tonrik's wild eyes looking straight at him.

The thought of being in those dark rooms drove him forwards, making him pump his arms as much as he could and not look back. Tahno's breath came fast and his limbs grew heavy after long, and it was only then that he realized it was only his footsteps echoing in the tunnel.

He skidded to a stop before the exit of the tunnel, feeding into a gigantic dark space up ahead, lit by rays of light spilling down from the city above. A drainage silo. Breathing heavily he walked out into it, carefully navigating a thin walkway with flimsy handrails on either side.

Once in the middle he stopped when he heard a noise up ahead. Footsteps.

His blood chilled as they came his way, and he prepared himself to face a onslaught of water projectiles and whips, and the ever-present laugh of Tonrik and Pendra-

Instead a iron pressure clamped over his muscles, every one of them, and his eyes widened at the sight of a bone white mask appearing in the dim half-light at the other end of the silo.

"_Amon_."

* * *

土


End file.
